The Heroes Amongst The Stars
by Strawberrytop007
Summary: Part 1: Of The Monochrome Fate Series. Currently being rewritten."You're fate is in my hands, I control you, I own you my dear..."
1. Orange

**Author's Note:**_ Hello, and welcome to the new re-write of 'The Spark of a Hero Series', now renamed "Monochrome Fate Series". I do not like the original I wrote and I have decided to re-start it. The plot will be the same but different at the same time. Certain scenes will be deleted and added along with more character development. The main different points you may notice at first is #1 it is now set after the 2007 Movie. #2 Erin's last name is changed. And #3 Characters are introduced earlier and different then they were in the original. You may also notice more changes as you continue to read throughout the new chapters._

_Erin Everett, Riley Phillips, and Jetstrike belong to me, and therefore those characters require my permission to use! _

_Leiana Grey belongs to Ninjalala aka Artists_Inquisition_

_Rose Connelly belongs to Bells of Eden_

_Jade Rivers belongs to Icarian Angel Wings. _

_Kia Hawkins belongs to weapon13white fang. _

_Zaru Kiys and the Club Kunoichi belongs to Zaru-san_

_All characters used with full permission from their owners! NO ONE has permission to use these characters without receiving permission for their owners!_

* * *

_**The Heroes Amongst The Stars**_

_Part One Of The Monochrome Fate Series_

Chapter 1

_Orange_

* * *

_It's that same dream..._

_No wait, it's a nightmare._

_It's the kind of thing you never suspect to happen. Actually it's something you never thought of_

_...ever!_

_The cries and screams tearing through my ears as I laid there helpless and numb. This is a situation where I had no control...where I was helpless and pathetic! _

_Would things here be different if I was brave? Would I be able to look up at the three towering figures above me and not cower?_

_I doubt it_

_I can see even the bravest of men staring in those eyes and falling into pure shock and fear._

_I can always tell what happens next._

_The screams dim down as I am abandoned by myself. _

_I hear voices coming closer though...a boy...and what sounds like two men_

_...but they aren't. _

_The fourth sound is a series of shouting and yelling as the ground beneath my body trembles._

_After the trembling ground comes to a stop, I am left in an eerie silence_

_Alone _

_What is this feeling? My fingers twitch as my mouth trembles to call out for someone...anyone._

_I am suddenly hit with the realization of what my body is trying to tell me. _

_I'm dying! _

_The scariest part of this nightmare is that I am not dreaming..._

_I'm remembering. _

* * *

_SMACK!_

"Oww! Hey...what the!" The young man quickly sat up from where he was relaxing. He turned to look at the one responsible for disturbing him as he frowned.

"You fell asleep...again." The young tan woman said casually as she kept her eyes on her book sitting in her lap.

"So what of it Mikaela?" Sam rubbed his forehead as he went back to leaning against the tree. "That exam killed me!"

"If you don't finish the book now, you'll just keep putting it off till the end of Summer Sam." Mikaela scolded as she reached down next to him and picked up his own copy of '_The Great Gatsby_'. "Here, you're almost done anyway." She held it out in front of his face.

"Ugh fine." Sam moaned one last time as he took the book from her. "I guess I should be happy it's only one book we have to read this summer right?"

Even though Sam Witwicky hated summer reading, he admitted that is was way better than having to write a report, because he had plans for the upcoming summer.

It had almost been three months since the Autobots came into their lives, and even though at first it was just news that they would all be doomed and that he held the key to Earth's survival, he now felt like he could relax around them since there was no more danger out there looking for him.

"Hey"

"Yeah?" Mikaela looked down at her boyfriend as he flipped through the pages of his book slowly.

"Will said the Autobots will be here tomorrow right?"

"Either tonight or tomorrow, depends." Mikaela answered. "He said they will be traveling separately in small groups so they won't attract attention on the roads.

Both Sam and Mikaela had not seen any of the Autobots for about a month since they moved into their new base. They had joined a newly founded group called N.E.S.T. and never had the time to come and visit until now.

But to Sam's comfort Optimus Prime had informed him that N.E.S.T. had built a hidden base where they could stay for the summer. Sam was just happy he wouldn't have to hide a few giant alien robots in his backyard. BumbleBee barely got permission to sleep in the garage from his mother.

"Optimus told me that they got some new teammates recently" Mikaela said. "I heard that one is actually a girl!"

"Wait they have chick robots too!" Sam blinked in disbelief as Mikaela raised an eyebrow.

"Why would that surprise you?" She smiled a bit as Sam started to picture in his mind what a female Autobot would look like...big mistake.

Suddenly a mental image of BumbleBee with large breast and lips popped up into his head as he held his mouth so he didn't vomit from the shock and horror.

"Please don't tell me you actually pictured Optimus cross-dressing!" Mikaela asked as she looked at Sam with disbelief of his imagination.

"Worse..." He tried to shake the mental image from his mind as he went back to his book.

As they sat there for a few more minutes, Sam interrupted Mikaela's reading yet again with a question.

"If some of them do make it here tonight, what do you want to do?"

"Sorry Sam." Mikaela looked back at him. "I have plans tonight."

"What plans, you never mentioned it before."

"I don't have to tell you everything I do, Sam." She smiled softly as he blushed slightly. "But if you must know, I'm going to Club Kunoichi with Leiana to play some pool with her."

Sam froze. Leiana Grey was one of Mikaela's childhood friends and someone who Sam had once feared. The girl had taken karate when she was young and was known for getting in some small fights with older students. Although Mikaela stated that Leiana never started them. After Mikaela had told her that Sam was her new boyfriend, Leiana was both shocked and confused.

He admitted that even though the girl had a little temper, he actually liked her. Seems she felt the same way he did about Mikaela's old boyfriend Trent and told Mikaela it was nice to see her with a decent boy for once.

_/BumbleBee! Watch your speed!/_

The hot pink motorcycle drove next to the bright yellow Camaro as her hologram looked at him. She was well aware that he was excited to see his Charge Sam Witwicky, but they were specifically told by Optimus himself to not draw attention to themselves.

While she was a bit excited herself over meeting the boy who took down Megatron, she couldn't help but enjoy the nice ride there.

She had only been on Earth for a few weeks after she was able to track down Optimus and his crew from a deserted planet she took refuge in after the Decepticons took over.

When BumbleBee said he was leaving the base early, the young femme couldn't help but tag along. Back on Cybertron she had only a few memories of seeing the yellow Autobot when he was on guard duty of the Allspark.

Since she had arrived, he was the first to give her a full and cheerful welcome as if they were old friends. She liked that about him, he always knew how to make her laugh or smile.

Although the same couldn't be said about the monstrous sized black pickup truck behind them.

_/Slag it kid! Did you not just hear what she said!/_

Ironhide roared through the radio link as he nearly startle both of them.

_/Slow yer aft down!/_

It seemed like the peaceful trip was over. Arcee sighed to herself as she reduced her speed in order to be parallel next to the weapon's specialist.

_/Ironhide, he has slowed down since I told him. There is no need to shout./ _

She tried reasoning with him. All she got in return was a low 'hmpf!' from him.

_/You didn't have to come with us Hide'. You could have waited till Prime and the others left./_

BumbleBee interrupted from in front of them.

_/Yeah well I don't trust either of you! Knowing you, you'd be pulled over and then what!/_

_/You know it is impossible to have a pleasant conversation with you Hide'./_

* * *

"You know this is your fault."

"And why is that?"

Out of the crowd leaving the school, only two really stood out.

The first one was a tall girl with long jet black hair going half-way down her back. The only bit of hair that wasn't black was a few long stands going down the side of her face, which were dyed a vibrant pink. Her skin was somewhat pale which made her emerald eyes, lined with a dark purple eye-liner, stand out more. She was dressed in a purple tank-top and a black short skirt, followed by a pair of black leather, laced up boots. Her high-heels were the only thing keeping her almost the same height as her friend.

Her friend was easily picked out as the tallest. It was known that many other girl students were envious of her legs, which attracted allot of attention. She walked in a very refined way as she held her text books close to her small chest. Her attire was both semi-Goth and sophisticated, showing that she was a very determined girl. Her dyed, deep red hair glided smoothly behind her as it was held out of her face with a headband. Her skin was also pale, but there was a certain rosie-ness about her cheeks and a sparkle in her grayish blue eyes that brought life to her face.

"Duh! You told me to take the extra classes!" Riley Phillips raised her eye brow as her red-headed friend returned a glare.

"I don't seem to recall forcing you to sign up for them." Rose Connelly simply replied.

Like always, Rose had signed up at the beginning of the school year for extra classes. She suggested that Riley do the same, since it would look good when they apply to a college. Riley was reluctant but listened to her and did. Unfortunately at the end of the year, the exams were now twice as hard.

"I knew I shouldn't have listened to you!" Riley stuffed her books in her bag as they continued walking down the school stairs. "It may be a piece of cake to you Rose, but I'm a different story!"

"I'm sure you did fine!" Rose flipped her hair back as she spoke with her British accent.

True, Rose was originally from England, but moved to the United States with her father a little bit over three years ago.

"Whatever!" Riley moaned as she began pulling her hair back into a ponytail. "Got any plans tonight?"

"I was going to see if I can get started on our book report an..."

"Dammit Rose!" Riley stopped walking as she turned to face her. "We just now started summer break and you're still thinking of school work!"

"Well I think it's better to get it out of the way!" Rose defended herself as she stood a few more inches taller than her.

"Fine you do that." Riley began walking away. "I think I'll do something besides that tonight!" She waved as she kept on leaving.

Rose didn't like to think of herself as a workaholic, but everyone told her she was. She agreed that she needed to take a break, but this was her future she was planning after all.

* * *

"Do you see that guy...right there."

"Not interested!"

Mikaela frowned at her friend who turned away from the young man sitting at the bar. "But he's kinda cute Lala!" She added as she leaned on the pool table.

Leiana Grey was someone who never changed. For as long as Mikaela knew her, she had always been the same, stubborn! She was defiantly the shortest of her friends. She had mocha colored skin with chocolate eyes. Her hair matched with her eyes as its loose curls, held back with a black headband, hung a little bit past her shoulders. She was dressed in a black and white striped tank-top, followed by shorts and black sneakers.

She leaned against the wall as she wrinkled her nose. "Not my type Kaela!"

"No, I just think you don't want to bother looking!" Mikaela said.

"I'm not looking for a boyfriend now ok!" Leiana snapped back as she took her turn playing pool. "They would just be in the way. Just like Witwicky."

"Sam is never in the way." Mikaela folded her arms a crossed her white shirt. "He gives me my space when I need it."

"Really?" Leiana shifted her weight to her left leg. "Because you two spend allot of time together. In fact, this is the first time I've seen you without him, besides in some of our classes he's not in."

"Well..." Mikaela shrugged her shoulders a bit. "I guess, when you meet someone you really love, you want to be with them as much as you can." She looked up at her friend. "Which I guess, unfortunately makes you neglect seeing your best friends."

Leiana's expression softened as she shook her head. "Geez I didn't mean for you to feel bad or anything! Honestly I'm happy for you, and Witwicky seems to care about you allot."

"That's good to hear." Mikaela smiled back "Glad you approve!"

For the next few minutes they played their game in the club known as Club Kunoichi. Even though they were underage, the Club owner did allow them to come in a play a few games of pool. Mikaela didn't know the owner personally, but she did see her working behind the bar on some nights. What really got her attention was the fact that she dyed her originally Auburn hair green.

"So..." Mikaela grinned as she went back to scanning the club. "About finding you a guy..."

"...No!"

* * *

_"I knew I should have talked to him today..."_

The girl slumped in her seat at the small kitchen table as she looked out the window. She bit her lip as she looked down at her fading yellow sneakers.

The more she thought about it, the more she became stressed. She feared the stress may have affected her Exams she just took as she leaned her head back, allowing it to hit the back of the chair.

She was around the age of seventeen, she was average height for her age, but underweight for it as well. Her strawberry-blonde hair flowed straight and long down her back, just a few inches and she could probably sit on it.

She was dressed in a reddish pink long sleeve sweater, under a baggy bright pink t-shirt, that was at least two sizes too big for her. She had on a purple skirt, followed by light blue tights and her favorite pair of sneakers.

"Erin?" She turned her head and looked to find her father in the doorway of the kitchen.

Nathan Everett was about in his mid-thirties but the deep shadows under his brown eyes made him look older than he was. His head was covered with light brown hair and he was dressed in a suit.

His daughter looked at his suit then spoke calmly. "I thought you didn't have to work tonight?" She looked up at him with disappointed light blue eyes.

Nathan was a lawyer and had been at work every day and night working many cases, leaving Erin home alone for most of the week. She loved her father, but she knew that his work was important to him. It kept his mind off of...bad memories. So she wasn't about to beg him not to go.

"I'm sorry, but I have to go." he smiled understandingly as he walked over and patted her on the head. "I really am sorry Erin."

"Oh no! No!" She quickly protested. "I-It's ok really!" She shook her head as she quickly put on a cheerful smile. "I was planning on going out anyway."

Nathan raised an eyebrow as he grabbed his briefcase. "You've never been one to go out." He began walking towards the door.

"Oh well, I forgot to tell someone something important today, so I thought I'd go see them before I forget again!" She stood up as her father nodded and closed the door behind him.

As soon as he pulled out of the drive-way she quickly slipped out the backdoor and headed for her destination.

_"I will talk to you, Sam Witwicky."_

_Mars_

The mechanical, cat-like being slowly prowled on all fours as it breathed in sand and dirt threw its vents, quickly scanning for any traces of a life-force that may have been nearby. It continued moving as its body stayed close to the ground.

Suddenly it began picking up a sign of a life-force that had been there. It blinked its one large red optic as it began sending out a signal to its master.

It waiting a few second for his reply until he heard, /_**Acknowledged, track it down, Ravage**_!/

With a deep growl moving through its body the creature leaped forward as it began running through the sand at a tremendous speed.

As it covered more miles it finally reached its destination where the signal was emanating from.

It slowed down as it approached a few large rocks, too high for him to see over. He then began sneaking slowly around one, knowing what was on the other side.

The cat-like beast snarled as its claws extended further when cannon shot out from around the corner of the rocks.

Ravage leaped back as he readied his defenses for attack.

"It may have been a while since I've seen another Con' Ravage..." The large Decepticon came around the corner completely as his cannon still faced the beast. "But my senses are still as sharp as ever!"

Ravage began hissing out different noises to show his anger as he showed his many pointed teeth.

"I picked up your signal the moment you landed on this empty wasteland of a Planet!" He pulled his weapon back and stood up to his full height. "If you're here I take it your Master is as well." He narrowed his red optics.

A dark blue alien-like plane soared close to the ground before swiftly transforming and landing on its two feet.

"Soundwave." Starscream growled as Ravage ran to his master's feet like a house cat.

"With others!" Another voice, this time a female's, came from behind the Seeker as he didn't bother to turn around. "Well Starscream, looks like you've been here for a while!" The black and gold femme taunted as she walked closer.

"I seem to recall that distress signal I sent being made well over three Earth months ago Soundwave!" Starscream hissed as the femme Seeker ,Jetstrike, walked around him, coming into his view.

"We got here as soon as we could Starscream so don't go telling us off when it should be the other way around!" She sneered through her face-plate.

"What are you blabbering about femme!" Starscream shouted back as Soundwave stepped in.

**"Reports indicate that you retreated from the battle Starscream, allowing Lord Megatron to perish at the Autobot's hands" **Soundwave spoke in a low monotone voice.

"I did the smart thing back there and If I didn't I would be a pile of scrap just like the rest of those troops who followed Megatron's orders!" He quickly protested, but he knew even that wouldn't get him off the hook. Soundwave was one of Megatron's most trusted and loyal soldiers, so anyone who disobeyed Megatron would easily be an enemy to him.

"Oh well aren't you brave!" Jetstrike rolled her red optics as she folded her arms across her chest. "In case you've forgotten, our job is to serve Lord Megatron, even if it means putting our life's on the line, Starscream!"

**"Silence!"** Soundwave finally spoke up as both Decepticons turned their attention to the Communications Officer. **"Lazerbeak has reported in."**

"Well, it's about time!" Jetstrike looked up at the towering Decepticon. "What did he say?"

**"Allspark Shard's location confirmed." **

"Good, shall I send my fellow Seekers to do the job, Soundwave?" Jetstrike impatiently awaited her orders. She then noticed the somewhat confused look on the other Seeker's face. 'What's wrong with you?" She asked in a nasty tone.

"Allspark shard?" Starscream repeated. "But it was destroyed! I saw it perish along with Megatron!"

"Lord Megatron!" Jetstrike corrected as he shot her a vicious glance. "And what makes you think it could be destroyed that easily. Really Starscream, your lack of knowledge amuses me so!"

"Don't test me femme!" Starscream shouted as she didn't even flinch at his threats. "Megatron told me specifically that the Allspark can be destroyed! You are all obviously mistaken!"

There was a long pause as both Jetstrike and Soundwave looked at each other. The silence was broken when Soundwave finally spoke up.

**"Your allegiance to Lord Megatron was questionable. Therefore it would make sense that he would lie to you."**

"Hmpf, looks like Lord Megatron got the feeling the Autobots were planning on 'destroying' it, so if you believed it was gone for good, he wouldn't have to worry about you betraying him and finding it on your own!" Jetstrike laughed a little bit as she put her hands on her hips. "The Autobots didn't know this ether, so with his enemies clueless he would have had no problem getting it."

**"Unfortunately, his plan didn't fall threw when a human interfered and used it on his Spark instead of Optimus Prime's. Only a small shard of the Allspark was found. It must have stored all its power into that small piece, which the humans now posses"**

Starscream held his fury back as his optic twitched a few times. All this time, he thought Megatron had no idea of his distrust... now that thought was no more. Megatron had tricked him all this time, when it was supposed to be the other way around! How could he be so careless, how long did he know about his treachery! He was supposed to be the one to defeat Megatron, not some worthless human!

"Something wrong Starscream?" He snapped out of it by the sound of the femme's voice. "You didn't honestly think he never suspected you of betraying him did you?" He looked at the femme's face as she continued. "While we are telling the truth, maybe you should know that you aren't really the Decepticon Second-In-Command!"

"What!"

"That was just Megatron's way of keeping an optic on a traitor." She grinned beneath her face-plate. "Soundwave here is the real Second-In-Command." She pointed behind her to the silent solider.

**"Jetstrike!"** Soundwave interfered before the two Seekers got into a fight. **"That is enough! Your orders are to send ThunderCracker and Skywarp to retrieve the shard."**

The slim Seekers took off, transforming into a sleek alien-like jet and soaring off.

**"Starscream!"** Soundwave spoke as the Seeker listened. **"You will come with me to find Barricade. I have picked up a faint signal from his location; I believe he is still functioning, but barely."**

Starscream nodded. "And just where exactly are we all going once we retrieve this 'shard' and Barricade?"

Soundwave slowly turned around as he looked through his red visors.

**"We are going to revive Lord Megatron" **

* * *

**Author's Note:**_ So here is the first chapter of the re-write. I think it's a big improvement over the original and I am pretty happy with how it turned out. So please Read and Reviews are very much appreciated. ^^Chapter titles will be named by a color that best symbolizes the chapter's plot. _

_Orange: Energy, balance, warmth, enthusiasm _


	2. Yellow

_Erin Everett, Riley Phillips, and Jetstrike belong to me, and therefore those characters require my permission to use! _

_Leiana Grey belongs to Ninjalala aka Artists_Inquisition_

_Rose Connelly belongs to Bells of Eden_

_Jade Rivers belongs to Icarian Angel Wings. _

_Kia Hawkins belongs to weapon13white fang. _

_Zaru Kiys and the Club Kunoichi belongs to Zaru-san_

_All characters used with full permission from their owners!_

* * *

**The Heroes Amongst The Stars**

_Part One Of The Monochrome Fate Series_

Chapter 2

_Yellow_

* * *

The F-15 suddenly began to break off of the coarse the two F-22's were following and began soaring away.

/_Where are you going, Jetstrike_? / Thundercracker yelled threw the radio link.

/_Change of plan boys_. / The femme sneered as she continued leaving. /_Soundwave has just informed me that there is a little welcome back gift I need to pick up for Lord Megatron._ /

/_But what about the Shard_? /

/_You two still have your orders to retrieve it_! / She roared her engine as she took off. /_See you two later after I pick up a very troublesome little boy!_ /

/_Hey, where are you going Hide'_? / Arcee asked as the truck made a right turn, away from them. /_BumbleBee wants to stop and see Sam first before we head to the base._ /

/_You two go on ahead without me! /_ Ironhide replied. / My _job was to make sure you two got here with no trouble! I didn't come to visit a teenage boy!_ / With that he turned off his radio and left.

/_Guess it's just us BumbleBee! /_ Arcee sped up so she was parallel to the Camaro.

/_I guess so! Oh well, who needs a Spoil-sport like him around anyway_! / BumbleBee said as they both sped up to his Charge's house.

...

_Oh, I hope I've got the right house!_

She stood quietly at the end of the driveway to, what she hoped, was the house of Sam Witwicky.

This would be the first time she would speak to the boy, and she was nervous as ever! But she knew she would have to do this eventually.

Erin Everett had once lived near Mission City, where she had the misfortune of being in the city on the day of what was claimed to be a Terrorist attack. Only for some strange reason she couldn't figure out, she knew what really happened that day.

She distinctly remembered the voices she heard that day, and one voice she soon found out belonged to her new classmate, Sam Witwicky when she moved to Tranquility.

She finally began to move up the driveway towards the house as she began playing in her head exactly how she would talk to him.

Before she knew it she was standing on the steps in front of the door.

_This is it..._

She took a deep breath and knocked gently on the door. She half hoped that they weren't home and she could try another time.

But that didn't happen.

The door quickly opened as a woman answered it. "Hello there!" She smiled as Erin quickly returned a small 'hello'. "Can I help you?"

"Judy who is it?" a man's voice came from the other side of the room.

"It's a girl Ron...and she can hear you yelling." Judy added as she turned towards the direction her husband was.

"She better not be a girl scout cause I'm on a diet, remember!" He said as Erin still couldn't see him.

"Oh for Pete sake it's not a girl scout!" Judy replied before turning back and smiling at her.

Erin took her look as 'speak' and soon finally decided to speak up. "H-hello, you must be Mrs. Witwicky...my name is Erin...I'm in Sam's class..." She trailed off as the woman continued to stare at her.

"Oh!" Erin nearly jumped as the woman clasped her hands together once. "One of Sammy's friends, well he's here if you wanna see him. Wait here please." She quickly turned back around and headed for the stairs.

The next thing she heard was yelling up the stairs. "Sammy! You've got a visitor!" She could barely make out what Sam must have said but replied to it with, "It's a girl from your class!"

After a few more seconds she finally heard him coming down the stairs. "Hey..." He looked somewhat confused when he realized who it was. "What's...up?" Sam tried to remember the girl's name, but no such luck. He never said a word to her before...what did she want now?

She suddenly found her heart pounding inside her chest as she looked up. "Hey, can we uhh...talk." She bit her lip as she watched his expression change.

"Uhh, sure...what about?" He leaned against the doorframe casually as he listened.

"No...I mean...alone." She looked away as Sam's eyes widened.

He seriously hoped this girl wasn't going to ask him out...that was the only reason he could think of as to why she was there. "Sure..." He stepped out and closed the door behind him as he continued to walk by her. "Let's go for a walk." He motioned for her to follow. Knowing how nosy his parents were, he didn't want to find them peeking through the window, so he decided to talk away from the house.

As they started walking down the street Sam's mind was in panic. He had never had to tell a girl he couldn't go out with her! Mikaela was his first girlfriend...and his only! What if he broke her heart, what if she cried..._oh man this is gonna be bad!_ He kept on telling himself.

"So...what did you want to talk about...?" He froze when his mind went blank on the girl's name.

"It's Erin..." She said calmly as she continued to look down at her moving feet.

"Oh...right."

"Sam, I..." She stopped walking as he did the same. "I want to ask you about something that happened just about three months ago..."

Sam's mind began searching his memories. _Three months ago...that was...wait._

She looked up. "I was there too...at Mission City...I know they said it was a terrorist attack, and that everyone else there believed it too...but I know what really happened, even when they tried to erase my memory!"

Sam began to panic. _How could she know_, he remembered Sector Seven took all the civilians that were there, they said they erased their memories! He did the first thing that came to his mind. "I don't know what you are talking about."

"I know you were there Sam! I heard your voice, and I got a quick glance at you. When I came to your school here, I quickly recognized your voice...so please don't tell me I'm imagining things...I know I'm not." She looked up at him with pleading eyes.

_She was serious...she did know._

"I-I don't know what to say...I didn't expect this..." He scratched the back of his head. "But I guess I can't lie to you, so yeah, that was me. I was there." He saw a faint sign of relief come to her face as she seemed to relax a bit.

"Did you see...anything else there?" He asked as he watched her expression change.

"Yes...I saw those...things there too." She had a bit of fear in her light blue eyes as she said that to him. She looked up and saw the worry in his face as she pulled her hair behind her ears. "I take it that whatever they are, they are supposed to be a secret?"

"Yeah."

"Cause you're the only person I've told about this Sam."

/_Sam! /_ BumbleBee pulled up on the street as he dimmed his light. His excited for seeing his Charge turned into confusion when he spotted the other human with him.

_/BumbleBee? /_ Arcee parked next to him. _/I thought you Charge's human mate was...different looking than this one...from what you've told me. /_

_Where was Mikaela?_ BumbleBee wondered. He hadn't seen or spoken to Sam in a while, but last he heard Sam and Mikaela were still together and still very much in love. So who was this girl?

_/Is it possible that he has changed mates? /_ Arcee asked.

_/No! Sam would never do that! He told me that he wanted to be with Mikaela forever! /_ The young Autobot said quickly as he continued to watch with curiosity.

"If you don't want me to bother you about this again, I won't! I just wanted to know the truth." Erin began rubbing her arm as she looked back down.

"No! It's fine!" Sam protested. "Since you already know, I should tell you. Those things you saw..." He looked away. "They were robots...alien robots." He looked back to see her reaction.

Before she had time to open her mouth, they were both surprised when the sound of a jet engine roaring came over them.

"Oh shit! No!" Sam grabbed Erin's wrist and yanked her forward as he took off running for the woods. "Come on!" he shouted as Erin looked like a deer in head lights.

"What is it?" She cried out as he continued to run, still tightly gripping her wrist.

"Decepticon!" he yelled as he zigzagged threw the thick amount of trees. "Why now!" He suddenly felt Erin pull on his arm as she began to slow down. "Hey, what's wrong!" He stopped as he released his grip as she collapsed to her knees. "Hey!" He grabbed her shoulders as she began breathing heavy.

"My..." She struggled getting her breath as she began losing all color in her face. "Asthma..."

"Shit!" Sam bent down as he began pulling her up. He froze as he heard the jet coming closer.

"Come on out Sam!" He jumped when he heard the female voice echoing through the trees.

"Please don't cause me any trouble pet!" Jetstrike transformed to her robot mode as she began scanning around the trees. "I don't have time for your hiding games boy; I've got a schedule to keep!"

Sam remained quiet as he leaned behind the trunk of a tree, still holding Erin next to him. _Why now?_ He asked himself as sweat began to run down his forehead. _Why would they come now of all times!_ He looked down to see a terrified Erin, who was shaking while clutching his shirt. He could hear her wheezing and trying with what strength she had left not to cough.

After a while the woods became quiet. Sam began to wander if the Decepticon had left or was simply waiting for them to show themselves. He looked down at Erin and motioned for her to stay where she was.

She simply nodded as he began scooting to the side to look around the tree.

"Gotcha!"

Sam yelped as Erin let out a small cry while the femme tightened her grip around his waist. "I told you boy, I don't have time for this!" Jetstrike hissed through her face-plate as she stood up to her full height.

Erin looked up wide-eyed as she trembled. "S-_Sam_..." She whispered as she watched him struggle in the Seekers grasp.

"Incoming!" All three of them quickly looked as the yellow Camaro came speeding towards them, slamming into the femme. She yelled in pain as her hold on Sam loosened causing him to go flying through the air.

Suddenly he fell into the arms of an unknown robot that caught him just in the nick of time. "I got him BumbleBee!" The robot spoke in a female voice. Sam took this time to quickly get a look at his rescuer. She was smaller than BumbleBee and her body frame was slimmer. Her armor was pink and her optics were blue, hinting that she was indeed an Autobot. "Are you ok Sam?" She asked as he snapped out of his thoughts.

"Uhh...yeah." He rubbed his head as she gently placed him on the ground.

"That's good." She smiled before turning around and joining BumbleBee in the fight.

Sam sat there in disbelieve at his Guardian's perfect timing, another minute and he would have been gone.

Suddenly BumbleBee broke off of the fight and quickly ran towards Sam.

"Sam where's Mikaela!" He asked.

"Mikaela...s-she's at a Club with a friend! Why?"

"What Club!"

"Uhh it's called Club... Kunoichi!" He stood up as he watched BumbleBee use his radio. "Why what's wrong? Are the Cons' going after her too Bee!" He started panicking as he listened to the mech.

/_Ironhide, I'm sending you the coordinates to Mikaela's location. I need you to be there now. A Con' just attacked Sam and she could be next!_ /

"Well?"

"He's on his way!" BumbleBee said before getting back into the fight.

Sam watched as the two fired weapon after weapon, but the sleek femme would easily dodge then, she was too fast.

_This seriously wasn't happening again was it!_

Erin sat shivering in horror as she covered her ears, trying to block out the noises. This was all too familiar. She thought if she finally got it off her chest and told Sam all that she knew, he would tell her the truth and she could finally move on. Now, she's stuck back where she started from.

"Hey!"

She barley heard the sound of Sam shouting at her. She continued to cover her ears as he ran up to her.

"Hey! Come on!" Sam shouted as he tugged on her arms forcing them away from her ears. "We can't stay here."

She slowly got to her wobbly feet as she gripped his arm. "Alright."

Jetstrike shouted out curses as Arcee managed to hit her in the chest, close to her Spark Chamber. She returned to her feet even though her system was warning her that she needed repairs stat. "I'm not done yet!" She shouted to herself. "From what I heard you got shot down easily at the last battle!" She looked at BumbleBee then turned to Arcee. "And you...heh... you don't look like much!" She noted to Arcee's small petite frame.

"So, I'll just take you both out at the same time!" -Two null rays formed on her wrists, as they began building up energy- "It shouldn't be that difficult!"

"BumbleBee!" Sam shouted causing the femme to lose her concentration.

For the one second Arcee took action and drew her blade, sawing off one of the null rays, causing it to blow up.

"Why you!" Jetstrike reached for the tiny femme, only to receive another shot in the chest plate. This time her system was going haywire with constant alerts and warnings. She knew one more shot like that and her Spark Chamber wouldn't last.

She would just have to face the consequences when Megatron was revived. To her, the human just wasn't worth losing her life over.

Without another word she transformed and flew off into the night sky.

"Well..."-Arcee pulled her blade back as BumbleBee lifted his battle mask up. "Good thing we did decide to come here early."

BumbleBee nodded in agreement as he looked behind one of the trees, still standing, for his Charge. "Sam?"

The teenager poked his head around the tree as he let out a sigh of relief. "God, what a way to start the Summer Vacation huh?" He rubbed his head as he leaned against the tree.

Erin cautiously stepped out to only to take a step back once she spotted the two remaining robots.

"It's ok, their friendly!" Sam quickly jumped in before she had a chance to ask.

Her worry still did not go away.

"Look..." Sam made his way over to BumbleBee as he tapped his gigantic foot. "This is BumbleBee, one of the aliens who saved my life a few times. And this..."-he trailed off as he looked at the pink femme-"Ahh..."

"Arcee."-She knelt down to his level-"And it is a privilege to meet you Sam Witwicky.

_So this is a female Autobot_! Sam thought to himself as he quickly glanced at BumbleBee. _I wonder if she's one of the Autobot's girlfriends...if they even have girlfriends on Cybertron._

"And this"-he pointed to Erin-"Is Erin Everett, she was a new student...and she apparently was at Mission City during our battle...and she _still_ remembers"

"Hello!" BumbleBee waved and walked over to her. He reached down as he held out his hand.

Erin stared wide-eyed at the creature in front of her; she had never been this close to one. She slowly lifted her hand as she cautiously placed it on one of the mech's giant fingers. "H-hello."

"BumbleBee!" -Sam interrupted-"What about Mikeala?"

* * *

"Honestly Mikaela I don't even think you were _trying_ to win!" Leiana walked out of the Club as her friend followed. "What's wrong, something on your mind?" She folded her arms a crossed her chest as she spoke.

"No I just..." Mikaela trailed off as she spotted the familiar vehicle parked in front of her.

_Ironhide?_

"_Whoa_...now that's a truck!" Leiana added as she realized what Mikaela was staring at. "Hey! What are you doing?"

Mikaela approached the large truck as she opened the driver's door.

"Mikaela!" Leiana shouted as her friend looked too distracted to listen. "You're not thinking of..."

_Seriously_, _was Mikaela picking up her fresh out of jail father's old bad habits_? Leiana knew Mikaela had no choice but to go with her father when he got the urge to steal, so to her Mikaela was innocent.

_But now..._

Leiana noticed that she didn't even have to hot wire the car. Perhaps the owner just left his keys in the ignition.

_What idiots!_

Finally she had enough as she ran up to the truck's door and slammed her fist on it. "Dammit! What the hell are you doing!" She yelled as Mikaela finally looked at her.

"Leiana look, I know whose truck this is...and if it's here then it must be an emergency!" Mikaela hopped up in the seat as she closed the door. "I'm not stealing I promise...I'll explain later...alright." She sighed as she watched her friend's harsh expression fade.

Leiana let out a moan of frustrated as she backed away. "Ugh fine..._But_!"-She watched as the engine started-"I expect an explanation next time I see you Kaela." She smirked as Mikaela nodded.

As she watched her leave she turned around to face her own ride home...her bicycle.

"Aww hell I shoulda' asked for a ride home in that monstrous thing..."

"Ironhide what's going on?" Mikaela asked as soon as he pulled away. "Is it Sam? What happened?"

"BumbleBee and Arcee are with Sam, he was attacked by a Decepticon."

"W-what! Now? why? Megatron's dead!" Mikaela leaned back in her seat.

"Just because their Leader is offline does not mean the Cons' will quit!" Ironhide said sternly as he picked up BumbleBee's location.

"Right..." Mikaela nodded as she looked out the window. _Please be safe Sam._

Leiana Grey pulled up to her front yard as she put down her kick-stand on her bike. She sighed to herself as she grabbed her backpack.

"Hello Lala!" She stopped when she heard the cheerful voice of her next-door neighbor.

She turned around to see the petite girl carrying a garbage bag out to the trashcan.

"Oh, hey Jade." Leiana waved casually as she returned the smile.

Jade Rivers was perhaps the only person ever who Leiana had never seen frowning. The girl, who was in the grade above her in high-school, always seemed to look at the positive things in life and knew how to make someone smile,.

She was average height with long dark brown hair, flowing down her back and chocolate bright eyes. She had long strands of hair on each side of her face dyed a light blonde as she wore her trademark kerchief on her head.

Jade had lived next door since Leiana was eight with her mother. When Leiana was younger she used to swear that Jade was secretly a Mermaid, due to her love for the color blue and the ocean.

"Is everything ok?" Jade slightly tilted her head as she noticed the girl zoning out.

"Huh? Oh yeah!" Leiana laughed a bit as she unlocked her front door. "I'm just kinda tired and zoning out!" -She opened the door and walked in-"Well, see ya!"

"Yeah, bye."

As she closed the door behind her, she got a whiff of a now very familiar scent.

_Alcohol_

_Drinking again dad...?_ She sighed as she spotted her father fast asleep on the couch. "You couldn't even make it to your bed, you lazy thing." She shook her head as she reached down and grabbed the empty bottle from his hand.

She looked down at his quickly aging face as she closed her eyes, trying to picture what used to be.

_Her mother, __Lisa, a strong beautiful woman who was Leiana's idol, holding on tight to her father Jonathan as the two smiled brightly at her. _

"All just memories now heh?" She smiled sadly as she tossed the bottle in the trash. She reached in the closet and pulled out a blanket as she gently tossed it over her sleeping father. After that she walked into her room as she turned around and switched the lights off.

"Goodnight Dad."

* * *

**Author's Note: **_Yellow, how it affects us mentally and physically- Mentally stimulating encourages communication. _


	3. Grey

_Erin Everett, Riley Phillips,and Jetstrike belong to me, and therefore those characters require my permission to use! _

_Leiana Grey belongs to Ninjalala aka Artists_Inquisition_

_Rose Connelly belongs to Bells of Eden_

_Jade Rivers belongs to Icarian Angel Wings. _

_Kia Hawkins belongs to weapon13white fang. _

_Zaru Kiys and the Club Kunoichi belongs to Zaru-san_

_All characters used with full permission from their owners!_

* * *

**The Heroes Amongst The Stars**

_Part One Of The Monochrome Fate Series_

Chapter 3

_Grey_

* * *

"Sam!" Mikaela jumped out of the truck as she ran to him. "You're ok!" Ironhide quickly transformed as she ran up and hugged Sam. "Ironhide told me about that Decepticon!" She sighed as she let go of him.

"It was a new one this time...I didn't recognize them from Mission City" -Sam looked up at BumbleBee-"Do you think more are coming to Earth?"

"Are you sure it wasn't one from before?" -Ironhide spoke up-"Both Barricade and Starscream went missing after the battle."

"Ironhide..." Arcee interrupted as she folded her arms. "It was Jetstrike."

Both Sam and Mikaela watched as a sudden look of shock appeared on the mech's face. He then grumbled something to himself as he folded his arms a crossed his chest as looked away.

"Also...there is something else we need to tell you." BumbleBee said as he pointed to Erin, who was still keeping her distance.

The mech's expression hardened as he shot a harsh look at the other two Autobots. "What was the one thing I said Slaggit!" He began shouting as all three humans backed away. "Don't attract attention from others and look!" - he pointed a giant finger in Erin's direction- "Oh you just wait till Prime finds out!" He scolded Arcee and BumbleBee.

"Ironhide wait!" Sam jumped between them. "It was no one's fault! She was with me when I was attacked! So lay off!"

Mikaela walked over to Erin as she smiled. "Hey I know you! You're the student who arrived a few months ago! Erin right?"-Erin simply nodded-"I'm Mikaela!"

"Plus!" Mikaela turned around as Sam continued. "She already knew! She was at Mission City!"

"Not possible boy!" Ironhide huffed. "Everyone there had their memories of the incident erased!"

"Yeah, well obviously it didn't work!" Sam said.

"Hey! Can we settle this when Optimus comes tomorrow!" -Mikaela put her hands on her hips- "I think we've all had too much excitement for one night!"

"What about her?" Arcee nodded towards Erin's direction.

"Ironhide can watch her!" BumbleBee smiled as he looked up at the Weapon's Specialist reaction.

"What!" -he shouted- "I'm not playing babysitter to a human!"

"Oh stop whining Hide'! Arcee interrupted. "Just stay parked in vehicle mode on the street by her house." -she walked up to Mikaela as she transformed into the small pink motorcycle- "BumbleBee you watch over Sam, I'll stay with..."

"Mikaela."

"Right, hop on!"

"This guy is Ironhide, he's gonna be taking you home ok?" Sam pushed Erin closer to the Autobot as he transformed into his truck form. "Don't worry, he's got a temper but he won't do anything."

"Wait a minute!" Erin finally spoke up as she turned around. " I-I just wanted to make sure what happened at Mission City wasn't a dream...now that I know that, I don't want any part of this..."

"Too bad girl!" Ironhide spoke through the radio. "You're already a part of it, so get in." He opened up the passenger seat door.

Erin looked back at Sam as he told her one last time to trust him and go with the Autobot. She nodded as she finally got into the seat.

Sam waved goodbye as he sat down in BumbleBee's passenger seat. "Hey, you think it's alright to leave her...with him?" he raised an eyebrow as BumbleBee started his engine.

"Probably not...but I'm not about to tell him that!"

Erin sat in the passenger seat as she gripped the edge of her purple skirt. This wasn't exactly how she hoped everything would turn out.

She just wanted to make sure she wasn't losing her sanity, imagining something that never really happened. She didn't want to get any more involved in it.

She kept hoping that by tomorrow they would be convinced she could keep what happened a secret, and leave her alone. She felt herself now regretting going to Sam's house earlier that evening.

She sighed to herself as she looked up at the moving steering wheel.

She recognized this guy. He was one of the three aliens she saw that day. However she felt that now wasn't the right time to try and have a conversation with him.

"Is this your house?" She was startled out of her thoughts as she looked out the window.

"Yeah..." She spoke calmly as she went to open the door.

_Locked_

"I don't see your Parental Units around." Ironhide scanned the area.

"My dad is still at work, he'll be home later tonight." He finally unlocked the door as she jumped out onto the pavement. "And he doesn't know.. about what I saw that day." She looked down as she started to walk away.

"I will be stationed out here." he stated blankly as she turned around.

"Oh, alright...goodnight." She smiled softly as she went back to walking towards the front door of her house.

* * *

As Sam pulled his covers off his bed he looked out the window only to find a pair of blue optics staring in at him.

"Holy shit Bee!" He ran to the window and opened it. "Don't do that! Get back in the garage now!" he pointed behind the yellow Autobot. "What if the neighbors see you idiot!" He began pushing the mech's face out away from his window.

BumbleBee replied with a low moaning sound as he refused to move from his spot. "Is this how you treat the guy who saved your life a while ago?"

"Don't even try that Bee! If mom catches you you're dead!"

"She won't!" Bumbled whined. "Hey! Mikaela and you are still dating right?"

"Oh course we are! What the hell kinda question is that!" Sam spoke as he sat on his bed. "In fact we've been able to get closer and know each other better since you've guys left. Think about it, before the only thing keeping us together was the secret about you guys, but now we've gotten the chance to really know each other."

BumbleBee listened as he leaned his head in the window.

"Speaking of girlfriends..." Sam added as he watched his Guardian. "Is Arcee yours?"

"What made you think that!" the mech quickly protested as he moved backwards. "Arcee is a fellow comrade and Autobot!"

"You make it way too obvious Bee." Sam grinned as he laid back. "You like her!"

"I do not!"

"Yeah...you do!"

"Sam!" They both stopped as they heard his mother's voice. "That robot better be in the garage!"

"Yes Mom!" Sam then started to whisper. "So anyway, where did these new recruits come from? Were they survivors from Cybertron?"

"Well, Arcee had been living on a deserted planet after she managed to steal a small ship from the Cons'. She said that after that she just stayed there waiting for any signs of Autobot life to find her. Luckily Prime sent out a message to any remaining Autobots, he gave them our location."

"Who else showed up besides Arcee?" Sam asked is a quiet tone.

"Wheeljack showed up a few weeks before Arcee did since he was closer to this planet. We've gotten some replies from others on Cybertron...but at the moment they are stuck there due to the Decepticon's guarding every ship and way out." The yellow Autobot said quietly as he turned around and started tip-toeing to the garage.

"Hey, Good night Bee!" Sam waved before shutting his window.

...

_/I knew coming back here was bad news, Prime!/_ Ironhide huffed through the radio link. _/Now we have to worry about another human's safety!/ _

_/Ironhide, have you forgotten that the Decepticon's are a threat to anyone on this planet. We have the responsibility of protecting every last human here, even if they know of us, or not./_ Optimus sighed as he traveled on the lit highway with Ratchet and Wheeljack not too far behind.

_/I see no need to, shouldn't we be more concerned about our own species! What about the remaining Autobots trapped on Cybertron? Whose gonna' protect them?/ _

_/You and I both know that there is no way, as of now, for us to get to Cybertron Ironhide. Our ship was destroyed and no human technology could produce something to withstand that long of a trip. All we can do now is hope that the remaining Autobots' receive my message and can find us here safely. But for the moment, You worry about your duties here Ironhide./_

_/Yeah I here you!/ _Ironhide mumbled as he stayed in park.

...

"I'm over-thinking this." Erin sighed as she laid back on her bed. She was lost in her thoughts as she held her pillow close. _I've got to give this a chance._ She told herself as she looked out the window, spotting the black truck still there. _I won't run away from this like I do everything else! _

Erin's father felt that in order for her to move on from something, they would have to move away, trying to start fresh. Unfortunately, Erin picked up this bad habit of running away from her fears. Deep down she knew this wasn't the right solution, but she couldn't face her fears.

She made up her mind, as she turned off her bedroom lights. Despite her worries, she was going to face this situation.

* * *

The two F-22's landed in the field as they quickly transformed. The tall, lanky, dark blue Seeker tapped the side of his helmet as he sighed to himself. "I see no reason why we are the ones doing this job!" Thundercracker spoke to his fellow Seeker, who was shorter than him and a deep purple color. "Would have been easier and quieter if Soundwave got one of his minions to do it."

"Well he chose us so let's get this over with!" Skywarp stretched out his arms as he whipped out his cannon. "Keep any fleshbags off me!"-he turned to Thundercracker- "I'll blow the base up then pluck the shard from the rubble." He leaped up as he aimed the cannon at the base. "Get ready!"

He fired one shot as the building came down and sirens went off. Thundercracker took off as vehicles quickly approached them.

"Hurry up and find it!" Thundercracker shouted as he began firing at the oncoming enemies. "Shooting these weaklings bores me!"

The other Seeker landed in the now large pile of rubble as he scanned throughout the flames for a spark of energy. "Found it." he grinned as he reached through the fire, grabbing the case surrounding the Shard. "That wasn't so hard!"

He quickly transformed as he flew over the enemy. "Let's wrap this up quickly!" he fired down at the remaining soldiers as Thundercracker followed behind.

...

_The next morning..._

_Ring...ring...rrrriiiiinnnnngggg!_

A hand reached up from under the covers as it slammed on the phone, tiredly picking it up. She lifted her head up just a bit as she held the phone to her ear.

"**WHAT**!"

"_God Dammit, what an answer_!"

Leiana slowly sat up in bed as she pulled her braided hair to the side. She looked at her clock as she groaned in frustration. "It's the first day of Summer break...and you wake me up at six in the morning Mikaela!" She threw the covers off of her as she slipped her feet into her slippers.

"_Alright then, I guess you don't want to hear my explanation for last night..."_

Since she was still half asleep it took a minute for her to process what had just been said. "Yeah I want to hear it! Just why couldn't you call later Kaela...I'm tired as hell!"

"_Well_ _I thought I'd remind you about our class's picnic today...since it seems you've forgot_." Mikaela laughed a little bit as Leiana made an un-amused face.

"I had planned on going, just not so early. But now that I'm up I might as well head over after a shower."

_"Alright then I will be there with a full explanation!"_ Mikaela said cheerfully.

"I don't really care that much about it, knowing you, you probably just snuck off to do a little something with Witwicky."

"..._No_!"

"Whatever, I'll be at the park in about an hour. Bye." Leiana said as he hung up the phone. "I really don't want to go to this picnic...it's gonna be boring."

...

The strawberry-blonde quickly stuck her head out the front door as she peered around. Her eyes widened as she spotted the black truck. She suddenly shut the door as she went back inside.

_He's still here!_

"Something wrong Erin?" She looked into the kitchen to find her father sitting at the table reading the paper.

"No!" She smiled in a non-convincing way as he raised an eyebrow. "I...just remembered that I have to go to a picnic my class is having!"

He stared blankly for a second before he spoke. "Do you need a ride?"

"Uhh...no I have one already." She slowly looked out the window, she felt like she was being stalked! "I'm gonna go ahead and go, alright." She waved as she walked out the door.

She sighed as she looked back at the truck. She looked a crossed the street as she walked over to the Autobot. "Are you still here?" She leaned closer to the truck as she whispered.

"Does it look like I've left!" it huffed back as the passenger side door swung open. "Is there something wrong with your optic sensors human!"

She went red as she held her arms at her side. "S-sorry!" She said as she walked over to the open door. "Where are you taking me?" she hesitated before climbing up in the seat.

"I'm going to drop you off with the Witwicky boy, I refuse to be your babysitter for any longer!" he grumbled through the radio as Erin looked away. "I've located BumbleBee's signal and I'm positive he is with him."

...

Sam quickly covered his eyes as the blinding sun beamed threw the tree branches.

_It was hot! _

BumbleBee had parked under the shade so that he and Mikaela could relax a bit, but the hood of the Camaro the couple was resting on was beginning to heat up.

"A picnic in this heat! What a stupid idea!" Sam moaned as Mikaela looked up from where his arms were around her. "When I find the class president I'm going to give him a piece of my mind! He planned this dumb thing!"

"So...what are you planning to do about Erin knowing?" Mikaela questioned.

"What are you talking about!" Sam looked down at her. "I'm not planning on doing anything about it. She already knew so it's not my fault. Besides, I'm sure Optimus will know what to do." He leaned back on the hood.

They watched as some of the students played football in the open as the large black truck pulled up next to them. "Hey, Ironhide!" Mikaela smiled as she sat up.

There was a long pause as Sam jolted up and stared wide-eyed at the truck. "Ironhide...you didn't eat her did you?"

The couple looked under the Autobot as they heard the passenger side door open up as a small figure came down, face first, into the grass.

Erin sat up as she wiped the grass from her shorts. "Sorry...the seat was really high up and I guess I slipped trying to get out." She went red for a bit as she walked around the truck. "Hello again." She smiled slightly as Sam and Mikaela slid off the yellow Autobot's hood.

"Alright, she's your problem now boy!" Ironhide started back up his engine as Mikaela leaped out in front of him.

"Wait! You can't go just yet!" She shouted. "I need your help with something...please."

"What is it?" Ironhide grumbled as he shut off his engine.

"My friend, the one from last night, you see I owe her an explanation for what happened." Mikaela sighed as she looked up at him. "And I need you to be here..."-she watched for a few seconds-"Please...I'll clean your cannons for the next month Hide'!" She grinned as he sighed in frustration.

"Fine...but make it quick. I'm supposed to meet the rest of the Autobots later at the base."

"Thank you Hide'!" Mikaela hugged the front of the hood before running to Sam's side.

"Wait who...what's going on?" Sam raise an eyebrow to his girlfriend.

"Well...last night I left Leiana standing outside Club Kunoichi last night, probably thinking I've turned into a car thief like my dad." She grinned sheepishly up at him.

Meanwhile Erin was looking curiously at BumbleBee's alt-mode. She gently ran a boney finger across the sleek surface as the mech spoke.

"I'll give you a ride sometime if you want Erin?" BumbleBee spoke through the radio as she leaned closer.

"You wouldn't mind?" She asked quietly as she pulled her finger back from touching the vehicle.

"Of course not!" He honked his horn as she smiled. "Sam only uses me to look cool anyway. Just like he used me to get the girl..." he sighed playfully as Sam leaned in to protest.

"Dude...you know that is not true! Quit talking about me!"

"_Witwicky_!"

_**SMACK**_

"_Oww_ What the hell!" Sam rubbed the back of his head, where he was just struck with someone's hand.

He turned to see Leiana Grey standing behind him, dressed in a purple tank top and shorts, waving her hand.

"Oh, look whose here." Sam mumbled as he moved out of the way.

"Finally!-Mikaela folded her arms a crossed her chest- "What took you so long?"

"Sorry!" Leiana pointed behind her to the bicycle leaning against a near-by tree. "I don't have a car like the rest of you!"

As Mikaela was about to respond, she stop once she noticed a somewhat odd expression on Leiana's face. Both Sam and Erin shared the same look as they glanced behind Mikaela.

Mikaela froze once she felt a large hand land on her shoulder.

"I believe you are the one Mikaela left in confusion last night girl?"

Mikaela recognized the man's voice as she stared wide-eyed out of the corner of her eyes, however she did not recognize his appearance. She watched as the man continued.

"Am I correct?"

"Yeah..." Leiana raised an eyebrow as she continued to stare at this man who seemed to come out of nowhere.

He was extremely tall and looked rather impressive. He had black ruff looking short hair with a few bangs going down over his absolutely stunning electric blue eyes. Judging from his outfit, which looked like some-sort of uniform, and several scars in his face, neck and chest, he must have been in the army.

"Then allow me to explain the situation." he nudged Mikaela to the side as she still looked confused. "I am an acquaintance of Ms. Banes and I had left my vehicle parked at a Club. Ms. Banes was kind enough to fetch it for me while I had some business to take care of. Do you understand girl?" He stood up to his full height as a small squeak came from Erin's mouth.

Leiana pressed her lips together as she glared at the man. _How the hell Mikaela knew such a person, she'll never know._ Perhaps he was a friend of her fathers. It was obvious he was trying to pull the 'tough-guy act' on everyone, but she didn't buy it for one second.

"Yeah I guess I do _Sir_!" she smirked as she noted a hint of annoyance in his face. "Well..." She turned to see Sam completely pale, Mikaela looking completely lost, and some red head hiding behind the Camaro. "Now that that's over."-she walked over to the topkick truck and looked it over. "So, this is your truck?" She turned to the man as she asked.

"Yes, it is!" He huffed as he looked around, as if hoping for a ticket out of there. "Do not touch it!"

She shot up as she argued "I wasn't gonna!" She shouted as she folded her arms a crossed her rather large chest. "By the way..." She turned away from him as she pointed to the one hiding behind the Camaro. "Who's that?"

Erin quietly stepped out from behind the car as she mumbled her name.

"I can't here you!" Leiana shouted as she jumped a bit.

"I'm Erin!" She said back as she shrugged a bit. "I transferred to your school a few months ago."

"Lala, I can't believe you didn't recognize her!" Mikaela shook her head.

"I don't pay attention in that class anyway!" She waved it off as she glanced back at the man, who was now getting into the top kick truck. "Hey, where are you going?"

"I have more important business to attend to." He said as he shut the door and started the engine.

As he pulled away Leiana turned around to face Mikaela. "Uh...no offence Kaela, but your friend there is a bit of an asshole." She motioned to the truck which was now almost out of sight.

"You get used to it." Sam shrugged his shoulders. "Mikaela I think we should be going anyway." he nodded to the Camaro as he shot Erin a look too.

"You go ahead Sam." Mikaela waved them away as she turned towards the field. "Looks like Trent is over there trying to show off at Volleyball, let's go over and show him how it's done Lala?" Sam watched as the two headed across the grass to where a large group of classmates were.

"Well, I'm not gonna stop her." Sam jumped in the driver's seat as BumbleBee opened the door for Erin. "Hey Bee, what was that thing we saw earlier... that was Ironhide right?" Sam noted the odd man they had just encountered.

"It's called a holoform Sam." BumbleBee spoke as Erin buckled up. "Like a solid hologram we Cybertronians use to blend in, in case of emergency. What you just saw was Ironhide's holoform."

"Wow, he's scary as both a human and robot." Sam smirked as he drove off.

As they headed down the road Sam noticed Erin's somewhat confused expression.

"Oh! Oops I forgot to tell you where we're going." Sam laughed as she watched. "Bee here is taking us to the Autobot's base nearby. Think of it as a vacation base for them. Anyway, Optimus Prime and the others would probably like to meet you...since you know everything."

"I'm not in any trouble am I?" Erin asked as the Camaro began driving off road.

"Of course not!" BumbleBee interrupted. "We are always happy to welcome new friends!" He said cheerfully.

* * *

The pink femme watched as the black top kick truck quickly transformed in front of her. "What took you so long Hide'?" Arcee smirked, only to receive a glare from the mech.

"I am never playing babysitter again Arcee! Next time, get someone else!" He pointed to her as he walked up to the large base door. "Hmph! I still think we should have stayed at N.E.S.T base and not this dump!"

Once the doors slid open he stomped in as the small femme lightly walked behind him. "I actually like it better."-she noted-"It's more peaceful, and there is even a section for the humans, like Sam and Mikaela to stay in." She added as she continued to follow him into the Medical Bay.

The door to the bay slid open as Ironhide shouted at the mech inside. "As far as I know, no mech around here is dying so why the pit are you in here!"

The bright neon green mech was nearly startled as he returned a glare to his comrade. "You can never be too prepared old friend." Ratchet added as he returned to his monitor. "I seem to recall you having the job of bringing in a new human ally this afternoon, Ironhide." he turned to hear his friend's answer.

"I left her with Sam, I figured he and BumbleBee can bring her in when they come." he snorted as he left the room.

"Ironhide is something bothering you?" Arcee caught up to him as he stomped down the hallway. "I know you're not one to go skipping around with happiness, but you seem tense..._er_ today. Is it because of her?" She froze when he shot her a glare that sent a shiver down her back. "I see then...I won't bring it up again."

...

"Whoa..." Sam looked around the area as he got out of the driver's seat. "You guys picked an awesome location for the new base. It's right by the lake!" He took in a deep breath as Erin got out.

"It does have a very nice view." She looked around for herself as Sam and BumbleBee headed for the base. "Ah! Wait for me please!" She quickly ran after them as he long hair flowed behind her.

"You know for someone about to meet a bunch of aliens who saved the planet...you sure don't seem excited." Sam added as the main doors slowly opened.

Erin said nothing as she looked down while she walked. _I'm not supposed to know of their existence, to them...I'm just someone they have to make sure doesn't tell their secret. _She sighed as they continued walking down a large hallway.

Once they reach a large door, Sam turned around as Erin finally caught up with them. "Ok...no freaking out ok? You already met three so the rest shouldn't come as a surprise."

As he turned back around Erin asked "Did you freak out when you first saw them?" She leaned in.

"Gah...well that was different, I thought my car was _possessed._..so it was understandable!" He blurted out as BumbleBee opened the door.

They walked in the large monitor room as the occupants all turned their heads to them.

"Welcome to our new base, Sam and BumbleBee." Optimus Prime walked up as he greeted them. He looked around as he spoke again to Sam. "I see Mikaela is not with you?"

"Yeah." Sam sighed as he put his fist into his pockets. "She stayed back at out class picnic with a friend. But I'll make sure she stops by sometime tonight." He grinned as he spotted yet another familiar face in the background. "Hey Ratchet!" he waved as the Medic turned in surprise, clearly he was too focused on his work to even notice that they came in the room.

He stopped what he was doing and walked up next to his Leader as he nodded. "Greetings Sam, I hope you are well."

"Never better." Sam said as he glanced behind the medic in order to see the others in the room.

Ironhide was in the middle of a conversation with Arcee as she was leaning casually against the wall. His eyes then moved to another, unfamiliar, bot' shuffling through as large box.

"Who's the new guy?" Sam asked as the bot' quickly turned around. He was just a few inches taller than BumbleBee, with a white and blue paintjob on his body. He quickly noticed that the guy's mouth was completely covered by a face shield.

"Were you addressing me boy?" The Autobot spoke as Sam nodded. "I am Wheeljack, the Autobot's Scientist and..."

"Biggest, clumsiest oaf on Cybertron!" Ironhide walked by Wheeljack as he spoke. Wheeljack simply glared at the weapon's specialist, he knew better than to start a fight with him.

"You know that is not true Ironhide!" His attention then went back to Sam. "And you must be the boy who took down Megatron!" he reached down as he held out a finger for Sam to shake. "You did what no one else could boy! Not even Op..ti...mus..." He stopped as the Leader's raised a robotic eyebrow. "I'll stop now." He shrugged as Erin finally leaned out from where she was hiding behind BumbleBee and Sam.

She took in the one called Wheeljack's appearance as she noticed the symbol on his chest. "You're a Mustang!" She asked loudly as everyone finally noticed her.

"I'm a _what_?" Wheeljack leaned back down as she was slowly pushed forward by BumbleBee's foot. "Oh, you mean my vehicle mode don't you Ms!" She nodded as Optimus approached her.

"You must be Ms. Everett am I correct?" He looked down at her as she stared in awe at his height and appearance.

"Yes sir." She smiled. It was no wonder this guy was in charge, she thought to herself, the guy's height and noble appearance was so obvious just by getting one look at him.

She felt a sudden shock of excitement dwell over her, it was like meeting one of the world's most important people.

"My name...its Erin. I'm very pleased to meet you!" she quickly leaned over in a bowing stance as a soft chuckle was heard. "Ah.." she looked back up at the towering mech who was smiling.

"I assure you, there is no need for such a formal greeting, Ms." -he smiled understandingly as she went red from embarrassment- "But, I do appreciate your kindness."

"I am Optimus Prime, and this is our Medical Officer Ratchet."-he nodded to the bright yellowish green colored mech.

"It is very nice to meet you." Ratchet nodded to her as Optimus continued.

"This is Wheeljack, one of Cybertron's Leading Scientist. And I take it you've already met BumbleBee, Arcee, and Ironhide." Optimus noted. "We are all grateful to have you on the team."

Erin looked around at each of the faces as she swallowed nervously. "Team...me? But I-I haven't done anything..."

"Don't sweat it." Sam casually placed his hand on her shoulder. "Trust me you will, with these guys I killed their enemies Leader and Mikaela helped Bee here take down a huge Decepticon tank!" He grinned as BumbleBee nodded behind him in agreement.

_This was different_. Erin thought to herself as she looked down. _They don't even know me...and now they are welcoming me with such kindness...but I haven't done anything._

"Hey!"

She snapped out of her thoughts as Sam interrupted. "Quit zoning out! How about one of you guys give us a grand tour eh?" Sam looked up as Ironhide and Ratchet quickly turned around and walked away, giving their answer. "Alright then, I guess it's just Bee and us." Sam rolled his eyes as BumbleBee began to lead them out of the room. "By the way, Hide' can you pick up Kaela for me later?"

Ironhide turned back around as he shouted. "And why is that my job, boy! Get Arcee to do it!"

"It's fine Ironhide." Arcee walked in front of him. "We've got patrol duties anyway so we'll both go. Picking up Mikaela will be no problem right Hide'?"

* * *

The black and white Decepticon laid back against the pile of rubble, from the broken bridge he was hiding under, as sparks shot from several areas around his body.

_Several weeks...and still I am in this state! _He shouted to himself as he closed his optic sensors. "I swear, if I manage to ever get the strength to stand again, I'll kill that worthless weapon's specialist for putting me in this pathetic state!"

During the previous battle, Barricade had foolishly let his guard down as he targeted the Autobot known as BumbleBee. The small mech had beaten him once and he was determined to pay him back for it.

However, the one called Ironhide took it as an opportunity to slam the Decepticon into a large pole holding up the bridge, causing his body to be twisted and torn.

"Hmph! I wonder, I guess we did loose. I see this planet has not been destroyed and no one has come for me."-he opened his optics again as he watched the planet's sun slowly going down as darkness crept up on him. "Of course I shouldn't expect them to come for me anyway, I failed my mission and was unable to participate in the real battle."

As he was engulfed by the darkness he began trying to relax.

He was unsuccessful in doing so.

"Ether my systems have finally burnt out and am causing me to hallucinate...or two energy signals really are approaching me." He heaved his body up somewhat as the signals grew stronger, closer.

He chuckled to himself as he spoke to the presence behind him. "Sneaking up behind a wounded soldier...only makes you a coward." He heard the footsteps of what he guessed were two Autobots.

"You are delusional Barricade!" To his surprise the voice did not belong to an Autobot, but to a fellow Decepticon..one he despised in fact. "Standing this close, you should be able to tell the difference between our signals and an Autobots..._idiot_!"

He turned his head as he replied. "Well, look who survived after all."-he smirked as he finally got a glimpse of the two behind him. "Starscream, what an unpleasant surprise this is."

"Likewise Barricade." Starscream sneered as Soundwave approached the wounded Con'. "After all this time, you still function?"

Barricade ignored the jet as Soundwave opened his chest plate as a small crab-like being crawled its way out, opening its bug-like optics.

Scalpel analyzed the injured mech as he went to work, mending his shattered legs and shoulders.

As Barricade watched he asked calmly. "Where is Lord Megatron?"-even though the answer was obvious.

"**He is offline...for the time being**."Soundwave said as he watched.

"What do you mean by that?" Barricade lifted an optic ridge as Scalpel climbed on his shoulder armor, or at least what was left of it. "You plan on reviving him?"

"**Exactly**."

Starscream simply rolled his optics as he looked up at the night sky. To his surprise the view wasn't all that bad, obviously Cybertron's night sky view was far more superior to this one's, but the fact that he could see plenty of stars was good enough for now.

Once Scalpel was finished repairing what he could, Barricade was able to finally stand up and stretch. "**Let's go**." Soundwave motioned as Barricade quickly shook his head in disagreement.

"Sorry Soundwave, but I've got a score to settle." He began walking away as the remaining two Decepticons watched. "Don't take this as an act of betrayal to the Decepticon cause."-he turned his head-"But I've got a fight to win back my pride I need to go to. Once I've finished, I will be back ready to fight again."

They watched as he struggled to transform into the police vehicle and drove away. "Are you not going to stop him?" Starscream raised an optic ridge to the Communications' Officer.

"**No**"-Soundwave answered as they both transformed and left the sight. "**We've already wasted enough time**."

* * *

_Later that evening..._

/_Ironhide, I'm heading back, it's Wheeljack's turn to patrol_/ Arcee commented as the top kick slowly made his way down the empty road. /_Wanna go ahead and pick up Mikaela,or do you want me to?_/

/_Alright Arcee, you go ahead, I'm closer to where she's supposed to be_./ Ironhide replied as he approached the park.

He sat there in park for a few minutes as the last remaining partiers left in their own vehicles. _Aren't these kids a little too young to be consuming alcohol?_ He thought to himself as he noted a few of the teenagers with packs of beer cans in their arms.

After the park was empty he began feeling a mixture of concern and impatience. _Slag it all! Where the pit is she! _

He stopped as he spotted someone walking near him. He quickly turned on his headlights as he shouted.

"Well it's about slaggin' time!"

"AHH! _FUCK_!"

He froze as he realized the girl was not who he thought it was. Before the girl looked up at him he quickly switched on his hologram in the driver's seat.

She looked up at the truck as she screamed in anger. "What the fuck is your problem creep!" Ironhide remained silent as he clearly recognized her as Mikaela's friend, Leiana Grey.

_For someone so young she certainly possesses a foul mouth!_ He thought mentally as he stared blankly at the ranting teenager.

"How long have you been here? Were you spying?" Leiana pointed as she pushed her bicycle to the side.

"Have you seen Ms. Banes around here girl?" Ironhide interrupted as she stopped. "I am supposed to be giving her a ride home and I have yet to find her."

She placed her hands on her hips as she wrinkled her nose at him. "Like I'm going to tell you! She said she was walking home! I knew there was something off about you!" She raised her voice again as he sighed in frustration.

"Look, I have no time for this girl and I ask that you tell me which way she went!" He raised his voice as his sensors began picking up something.

_A Decepticon was near..._

_Of all times!_ He thought to himself as he shot a quick glance at Leiana who had seemed to have lost interest in his ranting. _If I move quick...she won't be able to keep up. I just hope this Con' isn't too close._

Without hesitation he took off at full speed as dirt and grass flew under his wheels.

"Hey!" Leiana shouted after his as he was now far away. "Better watch it show off! You'll hit a tree at that speed. What an idiot." She sighed as she went back to her bike. She paused as a sudden feeling of curiosity hit her. This guy was way too suspicious, even Mikaela seemed awkward around him.

She let go of her bike handles as she took off running in the same direction the man left.

"I just know I'm gonna regret this!" she huffed as she followed the tire tracks in the grass.

...

"You! I thought you were dead!" Mikaela screamed as the mech tightened his grip around her waist.

She recognized this Decepticon as the first fully transformed robot she'd seen, when he was chasing Sam.

Barricade found himself lucky to have found the girl as she was walking home, he was originally tracking the Autobot's signal but he figured a hostage would bring the prey to him.

"I cannot be offlined so easily human femme!" he growled as he got up close to her face. "_Hmpf_! Here comes your hero!" he sneered as the top kick's engine roared across the field.

The mech quickly transformed as gear clicked and repositioned themselves.

"Barricade!" Ironhide shouted as his optics moved down to the young woman in the enemies claws. "Mikaela!"

"I take it you already know why I'm here?" Barricade chuckled as Mikaela let out a small yelp of pain.

"Guess I didn't hit you hard enough!" Ironhide growled as his optics never left Mikaela. "Using someone as bait, _heh_! That doesn't seem like your style! You were always one to go find your enemies yourself back during the war!" Ironhide smirked. "Pretty weak!"

"I'm gonna make you regret saying that!" he held up a large blade to Mikaela's throat as she gasped and began to shake more. "Her death will be on your conscience forever! Although something as small and useless as this, I wouldn't even give it a second thought!"

"Y-you should watch what you're saying."- both mechs stopped as they eyed Mikaela who was now soaked with sweat running down her forehead.

"What was that!" Barricade snarled as he leaned in closer.

"Because it was a small, useless human who killed your leader!" she managed a small smirk.

_Mikaela, you're only egging him on!_ Ironhide sighed as he watched her expression change. She no longer looked frightened, instead she was wearing a somewhat triumphant look on her face.

Such bravery for someone so small. He thought to himself as he pointed his cannon at Barricade's head.

"You lay one servo on that girl, and I will blow your head off!" He threatened as the Decepticon narrowed his optics.

Ironhide was keeping an optic on Mikaela's position, if he aimed right, she wouldn't be hit. But the Decepticon was holding her right in front of his chest plate.

_All I need to do is..._

"HOLY SHIT!"

_What!_

Ironhide's optic twitched as he didn't even bother turning around. That foul mouth was very familiar by now.

_Dear Primus, why me? _

Mikaela's eyes widened as she spotted her longtime friend standing in pure shock as all the color rushed from her face.

"Get out of here!" Mikaela screamed at the top of her lungs, practically clawing at the mech's fingers trying to escape his grasp. "Get out NOW!"

_No movement..._

Leiana Grey was now frozen as she stared wide-eyed at the two massive machines in front of her.

"What is this?"

A chill ran down her spine as the one holding Mikaela spoke, all four red eyes on her. "Another insect!" he chuckled darkly as the other mech jumped in front of her, causing her to fall back.

"Get back!" the black, bulkier robot shouted at her as he pointed two large cannons at the other.

Doing as he said, she scooted back as her eyes never left the scene. This was the last thing she expected to find when she first heard the commotion. Her eyes shifted to Mikaela who looked like a ghost.

"You can't hit me can you?" Barricade taunted as Leiana listened carefully. "Because of one human? And you call me weak."

Leiana bit her lip as she looked around for something, anything. She soon spotted a small tree branch that was just big enough to draw the one holding Mikaela's attention away.

She got to her feet as she snatched the stick off the ground, quickly running behind the trees until she reached close enough to the robot's back.

_I've got one shot!_ She got ready to throw then run. I _must be crazy to do this but..._

She threw the stick as hard as she could as she shouted. "Think fast!"

Barricade turned as the stick hit him in the shoulder, causing absolutely no damage. He grinned as he turned completely away from Ironhide. "That was a pathetic attempt of an attack human!" he sneered.

Ironhide quickly shot the Decepticon in the back as it let out a scream of shock, falling to its knees, still holding onto Mikaela.

Before Barricade could return the attack, Ironhide leaped in front of him and landed a powerful punch to his chest area, causing his grip on Mikaela to loosen and sending her falling down.

"Mikaela!" Ironhide shouted as she fell in the dirt. "Take her and run!"

She nodded as she staggered to get to her feet. "Leiana come on!" she snatched her friend's wrist as they ran for it. "How the hell did you end up here!" She shouted back as Leiana kept glancing back to the battle which was appearing smaller and smaller.

"I was worried, that creep from today went out looking for you so I followed!" Leiana shouted as she stopped running, causing Mikaela to shoot her a confused look. "What the hell is going on?" -she shouted-"What are those things?"

Mikaela raised an eyebrow before she sighed. "Those things are alien robots, the one who just saved our asses is the so-called 'creep' from today."

Leiana kept looking back as shouting could be heard. "Why are they fighting?"

"The other one is called a Decepticon, they're bad and are the Autobot's enemies." Mikaela pointed. "Now you heard him, we have to run!"

"No wait!" Leiana stopped her as she listened. "It just got quiet."

"Oh God, I seriously hope they didn't kill each other!" Mikaela shook her head as she froze at the sight of four red lights appearing behind Leiana. "Look Out!" She screamed as she ran in an attempt to push her aside.

Without warning, Barricade leaped out from behind as he made and attempt to snatch the girl up, only Ironhide made it in time to slam into his side, pushing him away.

Mikaela ran to Leiana's side as she coughed up dirt from where she was laying. "Are you ok?" she leaned down. They both watched as Ironhide held onto the Barricade's head, threatening to pull it off.

"Now, if you value your head, I suggest you get your sorry aft outta' hear!" He shouted as both girls watched in amazement.

He let go of the enemies head as he stumbled back. "Letting me live huh?" Barricade hissed as noted his energy levels were down. "How noble..."-he transformed into the Mustang police car-"And extremely foolish!" He drove off leaving the three alone.

Ironhide put away his cannons as he walked up to the two humans. "Are you alright?" he asked as Mikaela nodded with a smile.

"You were amazing Hide'!" She grinned as he rolled his blue optics.

He then looked down at the shorter female who stared at him. "That was extremely foolish of you to get that close to a Decepticon girl!"-he scolded- "But...I wouldn't have been able to attack him had you not distracted him, so I thank you."

The shocked look on Leiana's face slowly faded to a soft smile as she stared in awe. "Glad to help!" She grinned as he lifted an optic ridge. "And sorry for calling you a creep."

"Hmpf!" he stood up to his full height as he folded his arms. "Well, it appears we are now stuck with you."

"Right back at you." Leiana smirked as Mikaela just sighed and shook her head.

"How the hell are we gonna explain this to Optimus?"

...

**/Soundwave Reporting to all Decepticons. It is time/**

* * *

**Author's Note: **_Enjoy and please review. ^^_

_Grey- A neural color, serves as a basis for other colors. Color of harmony and satisfaction._


	4. Indigo

_Erin Everett, Riley Phillips, and Jetstrike belong to me, and therefore those characters require my permission to use! _

_Leiana Grey belongs to Ninjalala aka Artists_Inquisition_

_Rose Connelly belongs to Bells of Eden_

_Jade Rivers belongs to Icarian Angel Wings. _

_Kia Hawkins belongs to weapon13white fang. _

_Zaru Kiys and the Club Kunoichi belongs to Zaru-san_

_All characters used with full permission from their owners!_

* * *

**The Heroes Amongst The Stars**

_Part One Of The Monochrome Fate Series_

Chapter 4

_Indigo_

* * *

_Cybertron, over one thousand years ago..._

"Our planet, our future, will you sit back and let it rest on the shoulders of the weak!"

The crowd of what seemed like endless numbers of machines shouted towards the being standing in front of them.

"If you wish for our race's survival, join me and live! However if you do not join, then you will die. If you make it out of this area alive and join our enemy, then I promise you, I will hunt you down and terminate you myself!"

He looked all around as he faced his army. The same army that would someday conquer Cybertron, and many other worlds.

"Now my new army, shout your Leader's name to the Heavens! Let all hear the name of whom you serve!"

"MEGATRON!"

_Present Day, a few miles from the Laurentian Abyss _

The black and gold F-15 flew low over the water as it was soon joined by two larger F-22s, one a deep blue, the other a dark shade of purple.

_/Ah, Nice of you boys to join me/_-Jetstrike giggled as the two soared over her_-/I'm sensing an enormous amount of energy emanating threw your body Thundercracker? You were able to retrieve the shard after all/ _

_/Why does that surprise you femme!/_-Thundercracker shouted through the radio link_-/At least I fulfilled my duty/_-he scanned the femme-_/I see you failed to pick up the boy/_

Jetstrike mumbled a few curses to herself as she flew higher, now in-between the two mechs. _/I would have gotten him, but two Autobots were with him at the time. Now they know we are here and I'm sure they have alerted everyone. /_

_/Doesn't matter! /_ -Skywarp interrupted-_/We have the shard, there is no way they can catch us now/_

All three Seekers stopped as they picked up the presence of a fourth, coming in at tremendous speed.

_/Nice of you to join us Starscream/_ -Thundercracker spoke, as the copper F-22 caught up to them_-/I was beginning to think you'd bail!/ _The three seekers laughed as Starscream growled in annoyance.

_/Silence you fools! /_- Starscream shouted as they stopped their laughing- _/Unless you wish to cease all life functions! /_

_/Yes, Commander Starscream! /_-both Thundercracker and Skywarp mumbled-/_We are approaching the destination/ _

_/By the way Starscream.../_ Jetstrike closed the connection to just the two of them, leaving Thundercracker and Skywarp out of the conversation. _/On my way over here I came across a very interesting piece of information./-_she chuckled as she flew closer-/_Lord Megatron was helped taken out by a number of F-22 Raptors on that day, you're aware of this?/_

Starscream paused before replying. _/Of course I am aware; I shot down a number of those flesh bags piloting those! What is your point? / _

_/My point is that you have the same alternate mode. It would be easy to assume you blended in and took part in firing on Lord Megatron, right? /_

_/I suggest you keep your mouth shut you wrenched femme, or else I'll personally rip out your vocal chords myself! /_-Starscream shouted back-_/How dare you question such a thing? I am but a loyal solider and would not even think of committing such an act of betrayal! /_ he lied; of course he was one of them. It was all too easy to resist. The opportunity to take down Megatron was right there; unfortunately some insect boy beat him to it!

Jetstrike simply laughed _/Then it shall be our little secret. I won't tell, unless I feel like it. /_ she taunted as Starscream simply shut off his radio.

_Looks like I'll just have to eliminate you then_. He chuckled to himself as he watched her fly past him. _That was a foolish thing to say to me, I'll make you regret it!_

* * *

_N.E.S.T. Headquarters, Research Department_

"Glen, are you finished filling those reports?" The young Australian woman asked as she kept her eyes on the computer screen. "Glen?" She called once more as the hefty man leaned back in his chair, balancing a pen on his nose.

Maggie sighed with frustration as she snatched a pile of computer paper and smacked the man's leg, causing him to nearly fall back in his chair. "What!" Glen shouted as he straitened himself up.

"The reports!" Maggie repeated as she turned her chair around to face him. "Do you have them?"

Glen paused for a moment before quickly shuffling threw the large amount of papers on his desk. "Uhh...yeah I got it...wait...right here!" he smiled as he handed her the somewhat untidy pile of paperwork.

Maggie raised an eyebrow as she looked the pile over. "You honestly expect me to send this to command?"

"Well, yeah..." Glen said looking at her confused. "Why, what's wrong with it?"

She smiled as she laughed a little bit "Absolutely nothing Glen." she grabbed the pile form him as she went back to her desk to neatly stack them. "Just a little untidy."

"Hey, gimme' a break Maggie." Glen sighed as he relaxed back in his chair, spinning it around using his tippy-toes. "We both know I'm not cut out for this stuff, now hacking, no problem. Sitting back and having to read through that boring shit, unbearable!"

"You should be happy Glen." Maggie stood up as she stapled the report. "We haven't had any Decepticon sightings since Mission City, that's good! Unless you want them here?" She turned to face him as she leaned against a cabinet file.

"No, I just wish there was something more interesting to do around here!" he groaned as Maggie's computer began to 'beep'. "What's that?"

"Glen!" Maggie ran to the screen as she read the alert popping up on it. She shot him a somewhat irritated look as he leaned in to see the screen read; _Decepticon Signal Detected!_

"Be careful what you wish for!" Maggie scolded as she jumped up and shouted over the room. "Someone get me Lennox! We've got a Decepticon sighting!"

"Maggie!"

"What is it Glen!" She yelled.

"That was totally not my fault!" he waved his hands in the air as she groaned and ran down the stairs.

* * *

_Autobot Base Two_

"...And then I let him get away." Ironhide finished explaining what had just happened between Barricade and him to the rest of the Autobots.

"I see, and what of the human who witnessed the battle?" Optimus asked as Ironhide sighed with irritation.

"Well, getting her here wasn't easy!" -he explained- "She pitched a fit the entire way here, saying something about a curfew and other slag!" he huffed as he folded his arms.

"Where is she now?" Arcee asked.

Ironhide simply pointed to the door. "I put her in the human courters with the others." -he leaned back against the wall, taking in a large deep breath as air came out of his vents- "That other girl sais she's got a curfew too! Like I said before, these human parents are very irritating!"

"You're an idiot, you know that!" Sam sighed as he laid back on one of the couches. "Running right at a Decepticon with a stick!"-he laughed as Leiana gripped the edge of the chair she was sitting on, trying her best not to haul off and slap Sam for his comments.

"I'd watch your mouth Witwicky!"-she threatened as both Mikaela and Erin sat back and watched the two-"Besides I didn't run right up to him! I sneaked up behind him and it was because of my distraction that Mikaela didn't get shot!" She added.

"She's right Sam." -Mikaela grinned as she folded her arms- "If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be here. So you'd better thank her." She watched as Sam sighed with irritation as he faced Leiana.

"Thanks Lala!" He said in a completely forced tone.

Erin relaxed a bit in her chair as she watched the three of them chat. She kept eyeing the clock, afraid she'd miss her curfew. According to Leiana, her curfew was allot later than Erin's.

Her father was usually late coming home, but she didn't want to risk him coming home and she not be there. She didn't want to have to think of an excuse to cover up where she really had been all day and night.

"Hey, where are you going?" Mikaela asked as Erin stood up and headed for the entrance door to the Autobot's courters.

"I need to go home."-she turned around as she pressed the 'open' button on the sliding doors. "Do you think one of the Autobots would give me a ride home?" she asked.

"I don't think they'd mind; just don't ask Ironhide, because he'll probably pitch a fit!" Mikaela laughed.

"Oh, so he's always like that?" Leiana asked as she leaned back. "I thought he was just having a robo-period of something."

"Leiana!" Sam sat up as he shouted. "What the hell? He's a dude, and I doubt robots have...those..."-he paused as he pondered for a second-"Or do they, Mikaela do you think..."

"Sam! Why the hell are we having this conversation!" Mikaela yelled as Leiana simply laughed.

"Right, right...sorry." Sam went slightly red as he shrugged back in his seat.

"That makes two Decepticons in the past two days." Optimus scratched his chin as the other Autobots listened. "Barricade, we knew he was missing after Ironhide took him out of the battle. But why now, why would he choose to attack after so long. Jetstrike obviously was not present at the last battle; we would have detected her signal."

"We can only assume that Barricade sent out a distress signal, informing the other Cons' of our whereabouts." Ratchet spoke up from where he was leaning against the wall next to Wheeljack. "It takes time for space travel, so it makes sense that they are late."

"What about Starscream?" -Arcee mentioned- "We haven't heard about him ether."

"Bloody coward fled the battle, remember?" Ironhide responded. "He's probably cowering in some...eh?" his attention drew to the doors, which slid open.

All heads turned as Erin peeked around the corner of the door. The slightly annoyed look on Ironhide and Ratchet's face suggested she came in at a bad time.

However before ether of them could comment, Optimus spoke up. "Is there something wrong Ms. Everett?" He approached her as she stepped into the room.

"I hope I didn't interrupt something important?" -she shrugged he shoulders as she looked up- "But, I need a ride home...if one of you wouldn't mind." She trailed off, as BumbleBee stepped forward, standing next to Optimus.

"I'll take you!" he said cheerfully as Optimus nodded. "It's not too far away is it?"

"No, just a few minutes." she answered as she quickly followed him out the doors. "Thank you BumbleBee!"

"BumbleBee."-both stopped as Optimus spoke-"Make sure to return as soon as you drop Ms. Everett home."

BumbleBee nodded as Erin spoke up. "Um..you can just call me Erin...if you want." She added, being called by just her last name made her feel a little odd.

"Of course." Optimus smiled as the two left.

* * *

_N.E.S.T. Headquarters, Research Department_

The expressions of both annalists remained emotionless as their eyes never left the screen. The rest of the research team however, were running from computer to computer, running test on every signal they picked up.

Glen nudged Maggie's shoulder as she snapped out of her gaze. She looked at him with a tad bit of confusion and fear as he whispered.

"Should we call them?" Glen asked as she quickly turned and grabbed her cell phone. A hand suddenly grabbed hers as both annalist turned to see the one responsible.

"And what can they do?"-a slender man dressed in black spoke as he let go of her hand-"How the hell are they gonna get across the ocean that quick?"

The former Sector Seven member, Seymour Simmons, straightened up as he looked down at the two. Soon after the events of Mission City, The President had Sector Seven terminated, letting go all of its members. However, due to his _obsession_, Simmons demanded to become a part of N.E.S.T., stating he was a valuable member.

Lennox reluctantly allowed him in.

"That may be true..."-Maggie spoke up-"But if we don't do anything..."

"Then we are gonna have one hell of a resurrection on our hands!" Simmons finished. "Contact any form of military arms we've got out there. Come on you didn't leave it completely unguarded did you?" Simmons shouted to everyone in the room. "If that's the case then you should have just handed him over to them!"

"We did the best we could, the shard was heavily guarded an.."

"Wait...What! You mean they got that too!" -Simmons shouted-"Clearly someone's not doing their job!"

"Hey, now come on now!"-Glen stood up and moved his way in-between Maggie and Simmons-"Don't take this out on her! Look, I've just had them send a warning to the closet military air carrier, they're sending in F-15s right now."

"I'm calling Lennox!" -Maggie opened her cell phone as she dialed his number- "We're losing time!"

...

_Laurentian Abyss _

The four fighter jets came to a hover, as they swiftly transformed over the water.

"Let's hope you all can swim!" Jetstrike taunted before diving in head first.

"I'm going to murder her if I hear one more crack like that!" Thundercracker snarled as Skywarp laughed manically, before they both dove in.

Starscream stayed hovering for a few seconds, debating whether or not going in would be the smart thing to do, if Megatron knew of his treachery, he would take him down right then and there at the bottom of the ocean.

He redid his weapons just in case as he dove in after his fellow Seekers.

As the Decepticons sunk deeper and deeper, Thundercracker flashed a few lights, clearing the way.

After sinking for miles, they finally reached the bottom of the now Decepticon grave. Each body was scanned as they took note of everyone down there.

"Brawl, Bonecrusher, Frenzy, Blackout...they're all here." Skywarp added.

"Hey Starscream!" Jetstrike shouted as Starscream landed next to her. "What's it like looking at what could have been your tomb!" she laughed as he clenched his fist.

"Don't even think about it!" Skywarp stopped him as he spotted the Seeker about to take the femme's head off. "Besides"-he looked down at his leader's corpse-"We need extra parts for Lord Megatron."

"Well then!" Starscream reached for Jetstrike as she slapped his servo away.

"Not from me idiot!" She shouted as she pointed to the fallen comrades. "From them!"

After cannibalizing the needed parts, Skywarp opened up his cockpit as a small crab-like bot exited.

"Soundwave said to borrow him for the repairs." Skywarp explained as Scalpel quickly began mending new parts to the corpse.

"It's not the best looking..."-Thundercracker noted the rusted and cracked armor being mended- "But it will have to do." Scalpel finished his work as he motioned for Thundercracker to hand him the shard. "Here"-he opened his chest plate once again as the small fragment fell into the small bot's servos- "Hurry up!"

Scalpel glared threw his optics as he crawled onto Megatron's chest. "Here ve go!" He yelled as he shoved the shard into his empty spark-chamber.

A bright light emanated from the shard as it engulfed the corpse. Suddenly, another light shot out from it and hit a close by corpse of the former online Decepticon, Blackout.

Skywarp leaned forward to examine Blackout's body. "His spark, it's re-activating!"

"The Allspark's energy is bringing both back online! Why?" -Jetstrike watched- "Is it because Blackout is still in one piece?"

"I have no idea, but Lord Megatron is awakening!" Thundercracker pointed to the body as it began to twitch.

The Decepticon Leader's chest began to move up and down as he slowly gained consciousness.

_System's rebooting..._

His vision became static as he laid there, _blind._

_I can't see!_ He shouted in his head, unable to get the words from his faceplate. _I can't move! What is this! _

A vast amount of information began playing in his processor in a matter of seconds as he laid there.

_This knowledge, the Allspark! But how? _As his surroundings became clearer and his body began to come back online, he was hit with one last bit of information as he realized he was not fully back to his old self.

He was not given the full power of the Allspark.

"_You dare try to fool me_!" He shouted as his vision was now fully back, he paid no attention to his comrades as he roared curses.

He took off, heading for the surface at a speed even his troops couldn't match. "You are clever Allspark!"-he growled- "But you seemed to have let a small fraction of your power slip into my hands and I will have the rest!"

"_**I know you are out there**_!"

...

* * *

_Autobot Base Two- Same time_

The room went silent as an eerie presence seemed to hit each of the Autobots. A few began pulling out their weapons as they picked up the danger.

"Optimus." Ratchet broke the silence as they all looked up at their Leader.

"Yes I know Ratchet...he is online."

...

Erin waved as the Camaro drove away, from her doorstep. Luckily for her, her father was not home yet.

During the ride there, BumbleBee had informed her that she had yet to choose a Guardian. Now that both Leiana and herself knew about them, it was important they receive an Autobot as a Guardian.

It seemed BumbleBee was Sams' and Arcee was now Mikaelas'.

She didn't give him an answer as to who she wanted, to be truthful, she really didn't know who to chose.

Once in her room, she turned on the light as she began taking her long hair down from the ponytail it was in.

_**I know you are out there!**_

She gasped as the chilling voice echoed in her head. She leaped back knocking her body against the fall as she fell to her knees.

He skin grew cold as she held her arms, shivering.

_**I will find you!**_

_There is was again!_ She grabbed her head as she cried out, trying to make it stop.

She looked around her room.

_Nothing_

_No one_

She brought her knees up to her chin as she closed her eyes shut.

The coldness remained on her as she shook more.

The atmosphere felt chilling as she was hit with a feeling of despair.

She shook her head again, trying to get the feeling out.

"Erin!"

The voice seemed faint until a hand landed on her shoulder.

She jolted up from her crouched position, startling the one who snapped her out of it.

Her father stood there, looking pale and extremely concerned as he watched his daughter stop shaking.

"What happened?" -he asked quietly as she looked around-"I just got home and you were just lying here shaking? Are you alright?"

Erin finally calmed down as she took in a few deep breaths before answering.

"I'm fine... I don't know what happened."-she shrugged before standing up carefully-"I'm sorry if I scared you. Maybe it was just a nightmare, or something..." She faked a smile as she lied.

She didn't want to tell him she heard chilling voices in her head, he would think she'd lost her mind.

He shook his head as he sighed. "Don't do that again, dammit. Give me a heart attack why don't you!"- he smiled as he headed for the door-"Goodnight Erin."

"I'm sorry..." She said sheepishly as she sat down on her bed. "Goodnight dad."

Once the door was shut behind him, she gripped her covers tightly as she stared down at the wooden floor wide-eyed.

_The voice was gone._

_But the feeling of despair was still very much there. _

* * *

As he looked down at his rusting armor, Megatron took note of the oncoming jets.

/_Seekers! Take them out!/_ He shouted as Thundercracker, Skywarp, and Starscream flew out of the water in jet mode. Meanwhile, Jetstrike was helping a still wounded Blackout up to the surface.

In a matter of seconds, all enemy defenses were destroyed.

/_Decepticons! Follow me_!/ Megatron shouted as he struggled to transform into a Cybertronian jet.

He noticed that he lacked allot of his old armor, making it difficult to transform, he would have to find another alternate form until he reached his full power.

After flying for miles and taking out more enemy ships, the six Decepticons landed on a deserted beach.

Jetstrike helped set a still weak Blackout on the sand as Scalpel began mending his broken chest-plate.

"So..." Megatron turned around as he looked at everyone "This is all that remains of my army?"

"No Lord Megatron!"- Thundercracker bowed as he continued- "We have arrived from Cybertron, your army still lives and still controls the planet." He remained bowing, waiting for a reply.

"Then why did it take so long for you weaklings to revive me!" He shouted, noting his rusting armor. "Look at the state I am in now!"

"Sir, It took some time to get here!"-Jetstrike interrupted, leaving Blackout's side- "We left as soon as we received Starscream's distress signal!"

Megatron's optics shifted to the copper mech' as he stomped over towards him. "Really Starscream?"-he sneered-"And how were you un-able to obtain the shard on your own? It shouldn't have been that difficult! Or were you planning on not using it to revive me at all!" He swung his arm as he knocked the seeker on his back. "I should rip your wings off for retreating from the battle you pathetic disgrace!"

Starscream quickly got back up only to be pushed back again by Megatron's foot. "L-lord Megatron it's not like that at all!"-he panicked a bit as he felt more pressure being put on his chest-plate- "You were offline by the time I found you! I only retreated to send out a distress signal!"

The others simply just watched as Scalpel was nearly finished repairing Blackout. "You liar!"-Megatron shouted again, this time pointing what remained of his arm cannon at him-" You were counting on my demise! Weren't you!"

"But sir, you got the Allspark after all!"-Starscream began slowly creeping backwards as he continued- "Without me sending that signal, you'd still be offline! I only did what was necessary!"

"Fool! I didn't get anything! Nothing but a small fragment of its power and a rusted body!" he turned back around to face the other Decepticons as they listened. "Prepare yourselves for battle my Decepticons! Whether I have the Allspark or not, we are taking those wretched Autobots offline for good this time!"

Each Decepticon transformed as they took off into the sky, Jetstrike leading them to wear she found Sam Witwicky, knowing the Autobots wouldn't be far.

"And as for you!"-Megatron turned to face the Seeker who was standing back up- "Don't think I didn't realize what you really did Starscream." He glared down as Starscream coward a bit.

"What?" Starscream stared in confused as his Leader walked away.

"I know very well that you took part in trying to terminate me during our last battle. You may have blended in with those other jets, but you couldn't hide your energy signature!"

Starscream winched as he watched him transform and take off. _He's going to take me offline the moment he gets the chance!-_he clenched his fist as he mumbled several Cybertronian curses-"He already knows my plans to take him offline...now what!" he shouted before transforming into the F-22 Raptor and taking off, following the signals of the others.

...

* * *

A very eager Sam Witwicky was hurrying down the stairs, nearly falling on his way down. He had accidentally overslept till twelve and was feeling very irritated that no one bothered to wake him up.

Both his parents were long gone as he remembered them saying something about a day at the beach.

Before opening the back door, he noticed the small piece of paper taped to it.

_Take Mojo out! _

_Love, Mommy_

Finally, after taking the dog out, he made it to his front yard only to find that the Camaro was not parked there.

"Great!"-he sighed as he reached for his cell phone- "First I don't wake up on time, now my ride is missing. All I need now is a Decepticon shooting up my ass and this day will officially suck."

He tapped his foot impatiently as he waited for his Guardian to answer his com-link. "Come on, come on."

/_Hello_!/ An almost too cheerful voice answered.

"Bee where the hell are you?" he responded quickly.

/_You were still asleep so I just left until you decided to wake up_./ BumbleBee explained.

"Yeah, I accidentally overslept! I didn't mean too!" Sam moaned as he sat down on his front steps.

/Do you want me to pick you up now?/ The yellow Autobot finally asked.

"Yeah, that would be nice." -Sam shook his head- "And could you hurry please, it's hot as hell out here!"

...

"Uhh! It's bloody hot out here!"The tall red head blocked the sunlight from her grey eyes as she continued walking down the sidewalk. The fact that she was wearing tall leather boots was not helping ether.

She glanced down at the three large books in her arms as they finally began to feel heavy. "Next time she can pick up her own damn books from the Library!"

Rose usually couldn't be taken advantage of like this, but Riley Phillips was her friend. The girl had asked her to pick up her books from the summer reading list while she was at the Library.

Rose honestly didn't mind it, if she had her car which was unfortunately in the shop due to a fender bender from some drunks a while back.

Rose noted the time as she held up her wrist watch in front of her.

_12:37_

"Damn I'm going to miss my job interview." She sighed as she pulled out a folded piece of paper and laid it on top of the books. "I'll just have to reschedule."

She checked over her small schedule for the week as she picked out an open spot.

A sudden breeze began to blow as the paper was sent flying into the street.

"You've got to be kidding!" She dropped the books as she quickly glanced for oncoming traffic before running into the empty street.

"Gottcha!" She bent down, reaching for the note as she heard the sound of a loud engine coming straight at her.

To her luck, the yellow muscle car came to a speeding halt as it's tire screeched, placing it only a few inches from Rose's body.

"What the hell!"-Rose shouted as she punched her fist onto the hood of the car- "Watch where you're going, idiot!" She jumped out of the way as the Camaro simply took off again. Whoever was driving didn't even have the decency to apologize. She wrinkled her nose in distaste as she walked back to the sidewalk.

She did however take note of the cars appearance, realizing that she had seen the same exact vehicle parked in the school parking lot a few times.

The raven haired young girl was sitting back comfortably on the red couch as she finished up painting her nails a dark green. Her hair was up in a messy ponytail as she closed her green eyes and attempted to get in a small nap.

Riley had just gotten home after trying on a dress for an upcoming fashion show held by her family, which she was not looking forward to.

"Riley, you have a guest." She turned her head as the maid spoke down the hall.

She jumped up to her feet as a somewhat flustered Rose came into the room. Rose tossed her the books, nearly causing her to lose her balance. "What's with the attitude Rose!"

Rose sighed as she collapsed on the sofa. "Dear, you owe me fifteen bucks and a cup of tea!"

"Oh really?" Riley sat down the books as she folded her arms. "Claire?" she nodded to the young brunette maid as she hurried into the kitchen. "What happened?"

"Just nearly got run over love, nothing big." Rose said sarcastically as she looked up at the chandelier. "Oh, and I missed a job interview."

"Sorry."-Riley shrugged her shoulders as she sat back in a chair- "And if you need a job, there are some openings at Extravagant?"

Rose sat up as the main gently handed her a small cup of tea. "Thank you."-she smiled before taking a sip-"Sorry, but I'll pass. The fashion industry isn't for me at the moment."

Riley bit her lip as she scratched at her nose piercing. She sighed loud so that Rose was able to hear her when she decided to open her mouth and speak her mind. "Rose, you really bug me sometimes." She scrunches her eyebrows together as she put her feet up.

"I can't imagine why." Rose rolled her eyes as she grinned. Rose was already well aware that Riley and herself were almost complete opposites when it came to anything besides fashion. The fact that Riley disagreed with her behavior was always expected, and this time was no exception. "Let me guess, you're irritated that I'm being picky with choosing a Summer job, am I right?"

Riley narrowed her emerald eyes as she stuck her nose up in the air. "No one likes a smart-ass Rosie!"

"Well, no one really likes a stuck up snob ether." Rose smirked as she shrugged her shoulders, watching Riley's temper grow.

Riley leaned back a bit as she put her hands up as if admitting defeat. "No, I'm not going to lose my temper."

"Good job Riley!"-Rose grinned as she gave her friend a thumbs up-"You're becoming a nicer person everyday!"

Riley put her bottom lip out as her eye twitched a bit. "Don't make me take that tea away from you, Rose!"

* * *

Sam quickly shut the door to the base in an attempt to keep the cool air inside. To his surprise he found both Mikaela and Leiana sitting on the cold metal floor outside the Autobot's monitor room.

"Hey, what's going on?" Sam asked as he walked up in front of them.

"Don't know."-Leiana shrugged her shoulder as she brought her knees up to her chin- "They're all in their having some-sort of meeting I guess."

"Sam."-Mikaela stood up-"I heard Arcee say something about Megatron this morning on my way over here..."

Sam's eyes widened as the name quickly sent a chill down his spine. "No, he's dead Mikaela...he can't be back...can he?" He looked down at Leiana who had a puzzled look on her face.

"Who the hell is Megatron?" Leiana got up so they all three where looking at each other.

"He's the Leader of the Decepticons...or was. Sam killed him a few months ago." Mikaela explained.

"So if this guy is back..."-Leiana looked up at Sam-"Then that means you're in deep shit!" She patted him on the shoulder as he narrowed his eyes.

"This isn't funny Lala." -Sam's voice began to tremble- "He will kill me if he is alive!"

"Sam Optimus wouldn't let that happen, neither will I!" Mikaela said sternly.

"I won't ether..." Leiana smiled a bit as she folded her arms a crossed her orange tank-top. Her attention shifted to the entrance doors, as they slid open, revealing a small figure that remained there. "Quit lurking in the doorway like a creeper and get in here." Leiana pointed to Erin who stood quietly in-between the inside and outside. "You don't need permission to come in here."

"Lala."-Mikaela shook her head-"I think she's really shy! So don't scare her!" She laughed a bit as Erin finally decided to walk all the way in.

Erin quickly noticed the pale, unnatural color on Sam's face as she looked closer. "Are you alright, Sam?" Sam simply nodded as he went back to thinking.

"Hey, you remember those bad guys the Autobots were telling us about yesterday right?"- Leiana asked as Erin nodded 'yes'- "Well apparently Mikaela thinks their leader has come back to life, so Sam's scared shitless."

Erin took a second to process the quick amount of information she was just given as she turned back to Sam. "You think he will try and kill you because of what you did?" She asked as he still looked a bit dazed.

_He's afraid?_ Erin noted as she looked concerned at her new friend. She couldn't imagine being in such a situation. From what she was told, the Decepticon leader nearly killed both Sam and Optimus in their last battle and killed a fellow Autobot by ripping him in half. She didn't blame Sam at all for being afraid.

The doors to the monitor room slid open as all four teens turned to look. Each Autobot exited the room with a some-what morbid expression on their faces.

Sam was the first one to break the silence as he approached Optimus. "Well? Is he...back?"

Optimus's optics dimmed a bit as he answered. "I'm afraid so Sam."

Sam went pale again.

"So...what do we do? You guys can stop him right?" Sam asked quickly.

"Of course we will boy!" -Ironhide butted his way into the conversation- "You think we're just going to sit back and do nothing?" He huffed.

Ratchet walked up to the four humans. "According to the report from N.E.S.T.'s Research Department, four Decepticons were present at the Laurentian Abyss. Six left, meaning Megatron was indeed resurrected...along with someone else as well it seems."

"And the Decepticons know of Sam's location, meaning they will be headed here."-Wheeljack spoke- "We need to make sure they don't get Sam, and that they don't learn the location of our base."

"They're six of them and six of you guys...so we have a chance, right?" -Mikaela asked- "What about Lennox and his team?"

"They have been informed, but I'm afraid they might not make it here in time." Optimus added as his comlink began to beep. "What is it?"

/_Optimus, it's Maggie. You've got six Decepticon signals coming your way, with two more not far behind._/ Maggie spoke from her computer desk. /_Lennox's team has left, but at the speed they're moving...you're gonna have to fight without them_./

"Understood, thank you. Tell Major Lennox that we will engage the enemy right away." He answered as she hung up. "Autobots let's roll!"

The team exited the base as the sun began slowly setting. Optimus swiftly transformed into the Peterbilt Semi-truck, opening his passenger door. "Sam, you're with me, Megatron will without a doubt attempt to get revenge on you for destroying him."

"Alright."-Sam hopped in as he quickly turned to the three other humans- "What about them?"

"Mikaela you're with Ratchet and me." Arcee pulled up in her Buell Firebolt XB12R alternative form.

"Hop in." Mikaela nodded as the Hummer pulled up next to her.

"Leiana and Erin."-Optimus spoke through the radio as they both leaned in- "Both of you ride with Ironhide."

Both girls jumped into the GMC Topkick, Leiana in the driver's seat and Erin in the passenger's.

"Autobots, Roll out!" Optimus spoke as each vehicle started their engines and took off into the night.

Ironhide soon turned on his radio as he spoke. "As soon as I see a Decepticon, I want you two out of the way. Got it!"

Erin nodded wide-eyed at the dashboard. "Okay!"

Leiana however sat up in her seat. "No! It is not okay!"-She looked at Erin who looked some-what startled- "Sam and Mikaela's lives are at risk here, and you just want us to sit back! We may have just met you guys, but we are a part of your team! I'm not going anywhere, if Sam and Mikaela can fight their way through an alien war then God Dammit so can I!"

Erin watched as the silence grew longer between the two. As much as Leiana's shouting took her off-guard, she understood her frustration. But she knew there was no way someone so small could have a chance of surviving a fight against them.

But the last thing she wanted to see was one of them getting hurt, or worse, dying.

"Very well."-both girls looked up as the weapon's specialist spoke-"There is not much you can do, but if you wish to be present then I cannot stop you." Leiana nodded as she smiled some. "And what about you?"

Erin sat there quietly as he asked. _I don't want to do nothing_...She bit her lip.

_But, I'm afraid..._

She sighed a little bit as she said slowly. "I...will stay out of the way." She quickly caught the look of disappointment in Leiana's face as she looked back down.

Leiana had bravely demanded to stay, knowing there wasn't much to do, but she wanted to be there for her friends.

_I'm sorry, I'm afraid_. She closed her eyes, feeling ashamed of herself.

...

_A few miles up in the air..._

_/I told you I could find him again!/_-Jetstrike sneered to the dark blue jet flying next to her-_/And It looks like the boys' got company!/_

_/Then this will save me the trouble of tracking down the Autobots as well./_-Megatron growled as he struggled flying, he knew that in his current condition this alternative form would not do_-/The rest of the Autobots are yours, but Optimus and the boy will be dealt with by me!/_

_/Prime, we've got company!/_ Ironhide shouted as each Autobot slammed on their brakes.

"Sam, get behind me!"-Optimus stepped in front of Sam who nodded-"Autobots, stand your ground. Do not let any Decepticon by!"

Mikaela jumped out of Ratchet as he transformed into his bipedal form along with Arcee.

"Mikaela, you stay by our side." Arcee spoke quickly as a dark blue F-22 Raptor came soaring down.

Thundercracker soon showered the two Autobots with missiles as Ratchet shielded Mikaela with his arms.

"Ratchet, throw me!" Arcee climbed on the mech's hand as he tossed her up in the air as if she weighed nothing.

Arcee pulled out a small blade as she scratched the jet's left wing, causing Thundercracker to scream in agony and transform in order to stabilize himself.

Arcee began falling as she flipped in the air and landed on her feet.

"The femme and a medic!" Thundercracker cackled as Ratchet's optics narrowed. "This should be rather boring!"

The Decepticon leaped back in the air as Ratchet fired a shot directly at his arm.

"Don't think we'll go easy on you Thundercracker!" Arcee shouted as she smirked.

"It would be wise of you not to underestimate your opponents." Ratchet aimed his weapon at the seeker once more. "It could very well get you killed." He fired again, this time nicking the mech's left leg.

Mikaela stepped back, closer into the trees in order to stay out of the way. She watched as the medic and femme stood their ground against the tall lanky seeker, who was firing all kinds of weapons one right after the other.

"Get back!" Ironhide shouted as the F-15 and F-22 fired on him.

Both Leiana and Erin leaped back into the cover of the trees as Ironhide fell on his back.

"You asked for it Decepticon scum!" Ironhide got right back up to his feet as he aimed both his pulse cannons at the on-coming jets.

"Think fast!" Skywarp quickly transformed in mid-air as he grabbed a hold of Ironhide's right arm as pulled him to the ground.

"Take the shot!" Skywarp shouted up to the black and gold F-15. "What are you waiting for?"

Ironhide slammed his foot into the seeker's chest as he raised his other cannon and fired a blast into the enemies face.

"My face!"-Skywarp screamed as he fell back-"You'll pay for that!"

The F-15 swiftly flew down and transformed in-between Ironhide and Skywarp. "Hpmf!"-Jetstrike looked behind at Skywarp's panicking-"Obviously you're out of this fight idiot!" She sneered as she pulled out a pair of twin blades on her back. "Besides, I want him all for myself!"

She shouted as she leaped on Ironhide's shoulder and sliced down his back. "Don't you dare hold back on me!"-she yelled, jumping off him and landing perfectly on her feet- "I know you could have easily taken me out just now! Don't go all soft just because of the past, Ironhide!"

Leiana watched as Ironhide switched to defensive tactics, not even shooting the femme whenever he had the opportunity.

"Why's he holding back?" Leiana asked as she peered over the bushes.

Leiana started walking away only to have Erin quickly grab her wrist. "What are you doing?"-Erin whispered in a panicked voice-"If they see you they'll kill you!"

"Hey!"-Leiana pulled her wrist from Erin as she put her hands on her hips-"I said I was going to help didn't I?" she raised an eyebrow as Erin shrugged back. "I know I can't do much, but I can at least try to snap him out of whatever's wrong with him!"

Leiana took off running as Erin watched in fear. _What do I do?_ Suddenly she snapped out of her thoughts as she heard the piercing scream of Sam not too far away.

Without thinking, she got up and started running towards the direction of the screams.

...

"I said stay back Sam!" Optimus shouted as Megatron came slowly out of the darkness of the night.

Sam stared wide-eyed into the red optics of the one he killed. Optimus stood in front of Sam, canon ready and blades held high.

Megatron's optics gazed down at Sam who went white. "Hand the boy over Prime!" He shouted as he raised his fusion cannon.

"You know that will never happen Megatron!" Optimus replied as Sam backed away.

"It's just one human life. Surely it's not worth that much!" Megatron began moving closer as Prime kept his optics on him. "What is one human life compared to thousands I will destroy if you do not hand him over!"

Optimus ran forward as he attempted to swing his blade, only to have Megatron shield his body with his arm. "You'll never stop at one!" Optimus shouted as he leaped back.

"Optimus!" Sam shouted as a large rusted MH-53 Pave Low Helicopter flew over followed by a large deep blue Balkan Mk6 vehicle that came in crashing down a few trees.

"Blackout! Soundwave!"-Megatron shouted to the two soldiers-"I said to leave Prime and the boy to me! Be gone and find another target!"

Sam's worry only grew as he suddenly thought of Mikaela.

/_Wheeljack and BumbleBee, you've got Blackout and Soundwave heading your way!_/ Optimus quickly informed the two Autobots.

Both mech's were causing a serious amount of damage to the forest as Sam kept leaping back each time both almost landed on him.

_This is ridiculous! _Sam was through panicking and decided to head back deeper into the woods, where Megatron couldn't see him, and where he didn't have to worry about being flattened by either mech.

_I gotta make sure Mikaela is ok!_ He thought to himself as he paced through the thick forest. Then it hit him, Leiana and Erin were out there as well. Not only did he have to worry about Mikaela, but now he was concerned for them too.

Sam soon found himself face down on the ground as the sound of a loud jet engine suddenly pierced his ears.

He looked up behind him as he stared in shock at the copper F-22 coming right at him.

"Oh Shit!"-he jumped to his feet as a blast hit the ground in front of him, sending him back on the ground-"Uh! Optimus! BumbleBee! Someone!" He began scooting back in a hurry as the Decepticon transformed into its bipedal form and cackled.

Starscream leaned down as he slammed his fist next to the human. "Looks like I found you, boy!"

* * *

**Author's Note: **_Been a while huh? ^^; Looks like Starscream finally gets the chance to pay back Sam for killing his prey. Poor Sam. _

_Indigo- Can have a negative effect when used during a depression state. Deepens the mood._ _Indigo symbolizes a mystical borderland of wisdom, self-mastery and spiritual realization,_ _to increase personal thought, profound insights, and instant understandings._


	5. Green

_Erin Everett, Riley Phillips, and Jetstrike belong to me, and therefore those characters require my permission to use! _

_Leiana Grey belongs to Ninjalala aka Artists_Inquisition_

_Rose Connelly belongs to BlackwingRose. aka Bells of Eden_

_Jade Rivers belongs to Icarian Angel Wings. _

_Kia Hawkins belongs to weapon13white fang. _

_Zaru Kiys and the Club Kunoichi belongs to Zaru-san_

_All characters used with full permission from their owners!_

* * *

**The Heroes Amongst The Stars**

_Part One Of The Monochrome Fate Series_

Chapter 5

_Green_

* * *

The black and gold femme's red optics narrowed as she slowly approached the mech. This would be the perfect opportunity for revenge. However, something inside her chest was preventing her from pulling the trigger on her weapon.

Jetstrike growled under her faceplate as she began shouting at the black mech. "Even after everything, you still manage to have a hold on me, slaggit!"

Ironhide stood still as he held onto his badly damaged shoulder. "Humph!" A slight smirk appeared on his mouth-plate as his blue optics glared into her red ones. "And it appears that after everything, you still can't pull that trigger!" he taunted as he took in the small hint of annoyance on her face.

The femme quickly pulled out her two blades again as she shouted furiously, "Why won't you fight me back?"

"Hey!" Both turned their heads as Leiana shouted through the bushes.

"Get back, idiot!" Ironhide shouted back as he clenched his fist.

"What the hell are you doing?" Leiana yelled at the mech as she noticed his wounds were shooting out sparks. The female Decepticon however didn't have a scratch. "Why aren't you fighting back, moron!"

Ironhide growled as he stomped his massive foot and pointed at the young teen. "This is none of your business, girl! I told you to stay out of the way, now stop being a pest and get lost!"

Leiana was about to lose her temper with him as they both glared at each other. _If he could easily take out the police Decepticon like he had before, then he could certainly take this one out_, she thought to herself as she glanced at the female Decepticon.

"Why are you holding back?" Leiana asked once more.

Both Leiana and Ironhide stopped arguing as the femme chuckled. "Indeed Ironhide, why are you holding back?" Jetstrike swiftly skidded in front of the mech as she began to make a grab for the girl. "Perhaps you need persuading!"

Leiana got ready to jump back but Ironhide brutally slammed his shoulder into the femme's side, causing her to fall back.

"Ironhide...?" Leiana looked up in utter shock as the mech got back to his feet.

"You...don't get to touch her!" he huffed as Jetstrike looked up with the same shocked expression as Leiana. "I don't want to make you my enemy...but if you lay a servo on her again I most certainly will!" Leiana looked up in awe at the weapon's specialist as he looked down at her. "Ms. Grey, I will not ask you again to get out of here!"

_Now he's back to being an ass again._ Leiana sighed as her thoughts of the mech actually being a nice guy quickly vanished.

"Now that's more like it!" The femme got back up as she held her blades up again. "We can finally fight on equal grounds! And all it took was me threatening a little insect!" Jetstrike laughed before leaping back into the fight.

Leiana slowly backed into the woods again as she watched the two. She still was curious as to why he was holding back in the first place. Being the Autobot's weapon's specialist and a skilled warrior, she thought he would be the first to start a battle.

However, she was pleased that he was finally able to stop fooling around and actually fight.

Even though he had been rude and moody since she first met him, she could at least see that he wasn't all that bad. Especially since he saved her twice, she made up her mind that she would sometime make it up to him.

But for the moment, while she watched, she had no doubt he was going to win. It appeared that the purple Decepticon jet was out of the fight as she lay there unconscious.

Suddenly she thought of something else as she turned and began looking around. "Where did she go?" Leiana asked as she noticed the strawberry-blonde was nowhere to be seen.

She glanced around as the sound of the other battles could be heard.

They were close.

Bumblebee quickly readied his plasma cannon as the large rusted MH-53 Pave Low Helicopter slowly transformed.

He was surprised by the fact that this Decepticon had been revived as well as Megatron.

"Bumblebee, I'll handle this guy!" Wheeljack quickly jumped in front of the young Autobot as he pointed to the oncoming deep blue Balkan Mk6 vehicle. "Think you can handle Soundwave?"

Bumblebee nodded as he wheeled around and began firing shots as the Communications Officer dodged.

Wheeljack looked up at his enemy as he sighed. "I just had to pick the big one, didn't I?" he grumbled before pulling out his cannon and aiming it up at Blackout. "You look like scrap Blackout! Been hanging out in the water too long!" he sneered before firing.

Blackout remained silent as he pulled his rotor blades from his back and began swinging them at the Autobot scientist.

BumbleBee glanced back at the other Autobot worriedly. His processor shifted to the others. Their human friends.

He found his worries vanishing as he reminded himself that they are all being protected. If Optimus was with Sam, then he should be safe.

* * *

Sam attempted to get to his feet and make another run for it, but was cut off by one of Starscream's hands that slammed into the dirt.

"Not so fast boy!" Starscream sneered as Sam only panicked more. "We've got something to talk about!" he taunted as Sam kept trying to escape.

"What do you want from me?" Sam screamed till he was hoarse, running behind a tree for shelter.

The Decepticon grabbed the tree and hauled it up from the ground, tossing it at a retreating Sam who came to a halt as it landed in his way.

"You offlined Megatron, didn't you boy?" the Decepticon shouted as Sam spun around. "Didn't you?"

"Alright, alright I did!" Sam put his hands up as if trying to keep the Seeker from getting any closer. "S-so what, I get it. You're pissed 'cause I killed your leader. But he's back now, so it's cool!"

"It is most certainly not, insect!" Starscream finally reached down and grabbed Sam by his legs and hauled him up. "Megatron's death was supposed to be by my servos only! You stupid little flesh bag beat me to it!"

"Wh-what?" Sam hung upside down as he stuttered, "Go ahead and kill him! He's right over there!" He pointed away from him. "Obviously he didn't stay dead, so why are you pissed at me?"

Sam could hardly believe he was attempting to compromise with a Decepticon. But he didn't have anything else in mind. He found himself lucky that the Seeker hadn't crushed him yet.

According to what Bumblebee said before, Starscream's loyalty to Megatron was always questionable. Sam just couldn't believe that Megatron would still keep him around if he knew what a treacherous scumbag Starscream really was.

Starscream smirked before tossing Sam across the field and laughing menacingly. "Run boy!" he shouted as Sam held his back in pain.

"W-what?" Sam staggered up to his feet as the Seeker pulled out his machine gun.

"You heard me! Try to run! Make this chase more interesting!"

"You're insane!" Sam yelled before limping away only to have bullets fly in front of him. "Damn!" Sam fell back as he tried another way out. With each attempt to leave, Starscream fired at him, forcing him to retreat back.

"You humans look so pathetic running on your insect feet!" Starscream taunted with each shot. "There is nowhere to hide this time boy!"

"S-Sam?" the young strawberry-blonde said as she carefully made her way through the woods as the sound of Sam's voice got louder.

She stopped when she got a glimpse of Sam being thrown onto the ground, covered in dirt and blood. _Sam!_ She filched as the ground beneath her feet trembled.

She ducked down once more as so not to be seen by whatever was attacking Sam. She then began looking around for any signs of Optimus, since he had stated he would protect Sam.

But he was nowhere to be found.

Sam was alone.

"What's this?" She froze at the ear piercing voice that rang through her head, causing her to shiver and flinch back into the shadows of the woods. "Not going to fight back?"

She looked at Sam's motionless body as she began to panic.

_He's not moving!_

"Oh dear, it looks like I broke him!" the voice said once again in a horrible tone as she listened, her eyes still on Sam. "Just to make sure, I better squash the little vermin myself!" Erin stopped as she saw a large copper foot rise above Sam's body.

Without thinking, without even taking a second to realize what she was doing, Erin bolted out of the safety of the shadows and screamed at the top of her lungs, "_DON'T_!"

Starscream's head quickly turned as the small human femme ran to the boy, screaming in a fit.

Sam suddenly leaped up from where he had been lying, taking both Starscream and Erin by surprise. Erin stopped dead in her tracks as Sam yelled back, "Get back!"

Sam staggered to his feet as he took off running towards Erin, who remained still. Obviously 'playing dead' didn't work like he planned.

"Idiot, get back!" Sam screamed again, only to have Starscream's fist slam down in between them.

"What have we here?" Erin's head jerked up as she stared wide-eyed in fear at the Decepticon, who was now leaning down closer, facing her. "Another little pest?"

"Run!" Sam yelled again as he fell back "Don't just stand there!"

A chilling atmosphere came over Erin's entire body as she locked eyes with the monstrous being glaring down at her.

Her feet wouldn't move no matter how many times Sam yelled at her to. All this time she had been worried for Sam's life, completely blind of the danger she was putting herself into until now.

The smart thing to do would have been to run and get help. Instead she ran into the middle of danger completely clueless.

Sam's screams seemed to dim as she fully focused on the one who threatened her life. _Is this...Megatron?_ She wondered to herself. The way everyone described the Decepticon leader, seemed to be exactly what she was now looking at.

Extremely large and very intimidating, a sinister voice that sent chills down your spine, and those eyes...She looked up in a some-what trace as those blood red eyes seemed to pierce her very soul to the core.

_This had to have been him!_

Erin felt her heart beating against her chest as though it was making an attempt to burst out. She was finally forced back into reality as a large servo quickly reached for her.

"Looks like this one is too frightened to even move!" Starscream laughed as he snatched her feet right from under her, and hauled her up. "Let's see what we can do about you!"

"Erin!" Sam suddenly ran past Starscream's other servo, as he was distracted. "Hang on!" Sam jumped up and seized Erin's wrist as they were now both being pulled up.

Erin gasped as Sam's weight began pulling on her arms. "Sam, I can't hold on!" she cried out as she tried another attempt to pull him up.

Sam looked down to find that they were too high up for him to be able to jump down and survive. "Ah...oh great!" She panicked as his hands became wet with sweat. "Don't let go!"

"Sam, you're slipping!" Erin used one hand to grab the sleeve of his shirt. "S-Sam..."

She stopped since they were both face-to-face with the Decepticon.

Optimus stumbled back as sparks flew from his chest plate. He breathed heavily though his vents as his opponent got to his feet after being knocked down.

It seemed Megatron was in a weaker state from being offline and having lost his old armor. Optimus had tried his best to take advantage of this weakness. Despite his condition, Megatron was still able to hold his ground.

"Optimus!"

Both mechs flinched as the high-pitched voice echoed from afar.

_Sam! _Optimus quickly pulled out his cannon and shot an unexpected Megatron back down. "Hang on Sam!" he transformed as took off, cutting though any trees in his way, with Megatron right on his tail.

"Scream all you want, boy! It won't do you any good!" Starscream reached with his free servo and grabbed one of Sam's legs.

Both teens began to panic as Starscream began pulling down on Sam's leg. "Let's see how far you insects can stretch!" he taunted as Erin cried out, feeling her muscles being pulled to their limits.

"Stand down!" All three heads turned as the Peterbilt Semi-truck came speeding towards the Seeker and slammed right into his side.

With a wail of surprise, the Seeker suddenly lost his grip on the two humans. Optimus quickly transformed and grabbed the two before they could reach the ground.

Optimus looked down at both of them in his hand as he sighed with relief. "Are you two injured?"

Sam grabbed his chest as he took a second to calm down. "N-no...We're fine, right?" He turned to Erin, who was breathing heavily and still shaking.

"...I'm fine," she spoke in between deep breaths.

"Sam," Optimus said as he turned to face Starscream, who was cursing in his native tongue. "Take Erin and stay back, Megatron is not far behind."

_What? _Erin thought in confusion as Sam took her hand and pulled her back into the bushes. "Sam...I thought that was Megatron?" Erin asked as they sat down on the cool grass.

"What? No!" Sam said as he rubbed his head. He was still struggling to take deep breaths. "That's...that's Starscream, not Megatron."

"Star...scream?" Erin looked back behind them as the ground began to tremble again. "But then where is...?"

"Starscream!"

Both Sam and Erin looked over the bushes as the large mech came into view. "That is Megatron!" Sam pointed.

"L-lord Megatron!" Starscream said, stepping back as the leader clenched his fist.

"I thought I made it clear the boy was to die by my servos!" Megatron shouted as he stomped forward. Optimus watched as he continued to stand in front of Sam and Erin.

"It's not what you think! I-I was merely fetching the boy for you...to save you the trouble!" Starscream lowered his body in a somewhat cowering stance as Megatron moved closer.

"You imbecile!" Megatron swung his fist at the Seeker's face, causing him to shriek and fall back on the ground. "I don't want to hear your pathetic lies! Do you think I'm that stupid!" He raised his foot in the air as it slammed down on the Seeker's face.

Sam and Erin watched as she put her hands over her mouth. _Wasn't he on his side?_ She questioned herself as the Seeker's now pathetic pleading pierced her ears. _He was so frightening just a minute ago...but not now._

To her own surprise she found herself feeling pity. While Sam and Optimus stared, she had to look away from the beating.

"O...Optimus!" Erin asked quietly as the mech turned slightly. "Aren't...aren't you going to stop him?"

Before he could reply, Sam interrupted. "Are you nuts? That guy was just seconds from killing us! He's a Decepticon! The bad guy! Let him get beat up, it serves him right!"

Optimus glanced at Sam before turning around. "Megatron!"

The Decepticon leader stopped as he lifted his large foot from his soldier's head.

"I believe I am still your opponent here!" he drew his blades as Megatron sneered. "Do you intend to leave our battle hanging?" he asked.

"Very well Optimus." Megatron drew his own blade as Starscream quickly backed away from both mechs. "Let's finish this!"

_That voice... _Erin stopped for a moment as she finally realized how familiar it sounded. Megatron, his voice sounded the exact same as the one that played in her head the night before.

Sam's hand landed on her shoulder as she turned. "We need to move back now!"

_Mikaela please be somewhere nearby!_ His mind raced as he hoped to be reunited with her soon.

* * *

"Mikaela, you stay put!" Arcee shouted as they held off the Seeker.

"But I heard Sam!" Mikaela shouted while she held onto the trunk of a small tree, steadying herself as the ground beneath her trembled nonstop. "He needs help!"

"Mikaela!" Ratchet shouted as a few sparks flew out of his open wounds. "Sam is with Optimus! You are currently under our protection, I cannot let you out of my sight!"

Mikaela bit her lip in frustration as she continued to hold on, hoping each second that Sam would be okay. But she now remembered, they had other allies and friends out there. Ones who were not used to being in the middle of a battle.

"Hey!" Leiana said, watching as the female Decepticon took off into the air and disappeared along with the wounded purple mech. "They left?" She asked, looking up in confusion as Ironhide steadied himself.

"They were clearly outmatched," he huffed as he pulled his cannons away. "They could tell the odds were not in their favor and fled. Wait..." his optic ridge arched as he glanced behind Leiana. "Where's the other girl?"

"That's what I was trying to tell you!" Leiana folded her arms across her chest. "She must have taken off somewhere!"

The Autobot transformed into his vehicle form as he opened the passenger door for her. "Get in, Prime will have my head if I let anything happen to you kids!"

"We are not kids!" Leiana quickly protested as they drove off. "And I think I did rather good back there! And I help you with that other Decepticon yesterday too, remember?"

"That was just by luck! You get any deeper into these fights and you'll never survive!" Ironhide scolded through the radio as Leiana sighed.

Nearby...

"Curse you!" Starscream mumbled as he shoved his dislocated jaw plate back in line. "It's bad enough you're back online, now you've taken my prey! I wanted to decapitate that insect myself!"

His head jerked up as he began to pick up another signal approaching.

Quickly scanning the area, he spotted the Topkick approaching.

"Autobot scum!" He fired his missile launcher at the Autobot's hood.

Without any warning, Ironhide suddenly threw Leiana out of the passenger seat as he swiftly transformed and leaped over the missile, snatching a terrified Leiana in the process.

"Shit! What the hell was that?" Leiana screamed as Ironhide held her tightly.

"Starscream!" Ironhide placed Leiana on the ground as he readied his two pulse cannons.

"Wait!" Leiana began, standing up as the mech ignored her and continued forward. "There he goes again!" she shouted with annoyance as she could clearly hear the sound of another battle close by.

She looked back as something began moving in the bushes towards her.

"Hey!" Sam soon came scrambling out, landing on his hands and knees in order to catch his breath. "I thought I heard you!" He looked up as Leiana just stared.

"Are you alright, Sam?" Erin asked, and Leiana looked back up to see her run to Sam's side as she looked at him with concern.

"Where the hell did you run off to?" Leiana suddenly asked.

"I...I heard Sam scream so I just went to find him..." she shrugged her shoulders as she looked down "Rather stupid of me...Where is Ironhide?"

Leiana simply pointed. "Over there fighting some other Con that tried to kill us both."

"Well, now we know where Starscream went," Sam sighed as he spotted the two mechs throwing punches at each other. "At least he's not chasing me anymore."

Erin simply sat down on the ground as Sam and Leiana began discussing the situation. At the moment, she was more confused than ever. A Decepticon had attacked both her and Sam, but soon another Decepticon came and began fighting him... she had heard they were bad, but she never thought that they would beat up their own kind like that.

Even more confusing, she couldn't figure out why she actually felt sorry for the one being abused.

Megatron heaved his body upright as he staggered. _This wasn't right!_ He glared at his opponent who just stabbed him in the shoulder. _I should be able to easily beat him!_

It then became clear to him that he still wasn't up to his former strength. He felt somehow cheated by the Allspark for only giving him a small amount of its power to revive him. As much as he wanted revenge, he knew he would never get it unless he was fully revived with his original strength and power.

He was strong enough to hold his own ground, but not enough to overcome the damages he obtained.

"We shall save this battle for another time, Prime!" He slowly struggled to transform as he took off, leaving the Autobot Leader slightly confused, but relieved.

"Where the Pit do you think you're going?" Wheeljack shouted as both Soundwave and Blackout transformed and retreated.

"Hey! We've still got a fight to finish!" Bumblebee said while raising an optic ridge as Wheeljack shrugged in confusion.

"Megatron must have called them off." Wheeljack pulled his cannon back. "Don't know why though."

_/Starscream, retreat at once!/_ Megatron ordered as the Seeker continued throwing punches at the mech. _/Now!/_

With one last blast from his cannon, Starscream quickly transformed and left Ironhide in the dusk.

"The slag!" Ironhide huffed as he wiped dirt from his exhaust ports. "He retreated!"

"You say that like it's a bad thing!" Sam shouted from across the field before he sighed with relief.

* * *

"Right here?" Ratchet asked as he held up Leiana's right foot, examining where she had twisted it.

Mikaela and Sam looked curiously at Ratchet's holoform as he worked. Sam couldn't really imagine the medic looking so young, but his holoform proved otherwise.

Ratchet did indeed look like a man in his mid-thirties, with dark scruffy brown hair and a small goatee on his chin. He was dressed in a bright yellow uniform that matched his armor color. Despite looking human at first glance, it was obvious that he was not entirely human by his unusual pale skin tone and electric blue eyes.

Mikaela laughed quietly as she mouthed the word 'hot' to Sam while pointing teasingly at an unaware Ratchet.

Sam returned a small glare at the fact that his girlfriend found the grouchy medic 'hot'.

His thoughts were interrupted when Erin entered the room with the bundle of bandages Ratchet had sent her for.

"Is this enough, Ratchet?" Erin asked, setting the bandages next to Sam.

"Those will do thank you," Ratchet replied not looking away from Leiana's foot. "The damage is not severe, but I ask that you refrain from running and standing on it for long periods of time until it heals," he added before shutting off his hologram and returning to his true-form.

"It happened when Ironhide tossed me in the air while transforming! Idiot could have dropped me!" Leiana stated as she sat back in her chair.

"Erin and Mikaela, if you two could wrap Sam's cuts for me, I'd appreciate it. Bumblebee and Arcee have obtained damages from the battle and I must go and repair them."

"No problem Ratch'!" Mikaela smiled as he raised a robotic eyebrow at the name.

"Okay." Mikaela grabbed a roll of bandages from Erin as she stood in front of Sam. "Shirt off, macho man!"

"Ugh! Do not want!" Leiana slid off her chair as she limped to the door. "You coming, or do you wanna watch the show?" she asked Erin who looked back at Sam and Mikaela.

"Oh stop, we weren't going to do anything! Sam got a few cuts on his back," Mikaela protested as Leiana waved and closed the door behind her. "Erin, you don't have to be in here if you don't want to, one of the Autobots can take you home if you'd like."

"Well, if you don't need anything, then all right." Erin nodded before she headed out the door.

"You really took a beating." Mikaela put pressure against Sam's back with a warm cloth as he sat still.

"It was Starscream's doing. He kept rambling on about how he wanted to kill Megatron! Like I care," Sam mumbled.

"Wait, so he's, like, against Megatron?" Mikaela leaned closer. "Then why the heck does Megatron keep him around?"

"Good question!" Sam winced as Mikaela rubbed medicine onto his back. "Maybe as a punching bag, he was beating up on him after Optimus saved us."

Erin walked down the empty hallway as she listened to Leiana and Ironhide argue. Leiana had planned on walking home, but Ironhide kept insisting she let one of them take her since she injured her ankle.

"I said I'm fine!" Leiana grabbed her backpack as she headed for the door, only to have Ironhide step in front of her. "Move it!"

"Persistent, aren't they?" Erin looked back to see Arcee smiling at the two. "Oh dear, he's grabbing her. Looks like he's driving her home whether she likes it or not." Arcee sighed as she shook her head.

"Leiana said that Ironhide hesitated to fight the same Decepticon that attacked Sam and I the other night." Erin looked up as Arcee turned her attention to her. "Does he not fight girls?"

"It's not that." Arcee shrugged as she leaned down. "Ironhide and Jetstrike have a bit of a past...it's not my place to say, sorry." She stood back up and began walking away as Erin watched.

She then remembered...perhaps the voice she had heard the night before was not the same as the Decepticon leader's. Despite the fact that both voices were deep and chilling, she couldn't help but tell herself it was just a coincidence.

But as time passed, she found the voice disappearing in her memories. She only thought of what the words it spoke meant.

* * *

_This is such a pain in the ass_

Leiana was not too keen on the Autobot driving her home. Despite having a sore ankle, she still preferred to walk.

She didn't want to deal with Ironhide if he found her father drunk. She didn't want to explain. That was how she felt about anyone seeing her father like that.

She rested her chin in the palm of her hand, looking out at the streets.

"Hey, Ironhide." She broke out of her thoughts. "I was wondering, but why were you holding back towards that girl Decepticon?"

"I was not holding back, and if I was, it is none of your business." Leiana wrinkled her eyebrows at his brusque tone.

"Oh, I think you were. The way you two talked, it sounded like you knew each other." He mumbled something Cybertronian as she leaned in to add, "You know I won't tell anyone if it's a secret."

"It's not a secret!" he snapped. "The other bots are very well aware!"

"Of what?"

"That femme's name is Jetstrike, she was a former comrade back before the war started," he said calmly.

"So what happened? She ditched you guys?"

"In a way. While we both shared a common interest in fighting, she felt that joining the Decepticons was a better cause for her talents." He lowered his voice and there was a hint of remorse in it for once. "I did not agree with her decision."

"So...you won't shoot her 'cause of a choice _she_ made?"

"Why not? It was her choice! Ms. Grey, please tell me how you humans become close to the ones you love."

What?

Odd...

"Well, we usually get to know them and if it's someone you truly love and they love you back and want to spend the rest of their life with you, you would get married and say vows to be together."

"Our species has something similar but a little more complex. We have what are called 'spark partners', those who are bound to each other by their sparks. The Allspark decided this a long time ago. You do not pick your partner. When the two bond, they are called 'spark mates'."

"Like getting married?"

"No. When two Cybertronians bond, they are linked together forever; they share each other's feelings, thoughts, and memories, creating a perfect understanding of one another."

"Sounds rather...intense." She shrugged her shoulders.

"Indeed. Jetstrike was my spark partner, and later became my spark mate," he stated.

So she left him...for the enemy?

Leiana sat quietly as she thought back to the battle.

That's why he didn't fight her.

"Over time, the link between us had faded, but the bond still lies deep within us."

That's...so sad.

Who would have guessed that beneath the rough and threatening exterior lay feelings that were so human-like?

Truly there was more about these beings that she needed to learn.

"You can let me out here," Leiana finally broke the silence as Ironhide drove slowly down the street.

"Is this your house?" he asked.

"No, but I can walk from here," she said as she reached for the door.

"Too bad," Ironhide huffed as he locked it and continued driving. "Tell me when we actually get to your house."

Leiana sighed as she slumped back into her seat. She only hoped her father was already asleep.

Her brown eyes widened as she spotted him sitting on their porch, looking extremely wasted.

_Damn it!_

"Ironhide, wait, stop," she whispered and he did so. "Don't go any further."

"What is wrong?"

"It's..." she stopped as she looked down; she didn't want to tell him, what would he say? "My father..."

"What about him, is he here or not?" Ironhide asked as he scanned around. He soon spotted the young male on the porch. "Leiana, is that..."

"Yes..." she looked at the steering wheel as Ironhide dimmed his headlights. "I want to wait till he goes back inside to get out."

She didn't know what else to say, this was the first time something like this had happened to her. She had been so clever at keeping it from everyone up until now. She looked back up as the mech spoke.

"Is this sort of behavior a normal thing for him?" He didn't need special medical scanner like Ratchets' to tell that the man was indeed intoxicated.

Leiana bit her lip as she scooted down in her seat, hoping he didn't see her. "Yeah...almost every night since...my mother left him."

"I see. You are ashamed to be seen with him?" Ironhide asked as he noted her odd behavior.

"No!" She sat up. "I'm not...ashamed or embarrassed of him. My father was a nice guy who worked non-stop, he wouldn't even think about alcohol at all! This is all her fault! If my mother hadn't left him for that scumbag then my father wouldn't be going through this shit!" She stopped as she realized how much information she was spilling. This was private; she had never wanted anyone to know this.

Ironhide simply listened as he noticed a few tears prick at her eyes.

"I just don't want people to know he's gotten like this...I want them to know him as the person he really is...not this broken down person whose only comfort is to drink himself to sleep." She quickly wiped away the few tears as she noticed them. "I don't want anyone to know about this!" she said harshly at him.

"Then this shall be our secret," Ironhide said quietly as she nodded. "Does he know...how lucky he is to have such a caring daughter who would do all this for him?" he asked.

She thought for a moment as she watched her father slowly walk into the empty house. "I think he does...he just doesn't know how to show it." She smiled slightly as she opened the door and hopped out. "Now remember." She pointed at the Topkick's hood. "This is our secret."

"Agreed!"

* * *

Nathan Everett sighed as he glanced down at the recipe book a few times. Cooking was not his favorite hobby, and watching was even more boring.

Fortunately for him, his daughter was an even better cook than he was. And unlike him, she actually enjoyed cooking.

Erin watched the timer as she continued to stir their dinner. Bumblebee had been kind enough to give her a ride home just in time before Nathan had arrived from work.

While her limbs were still sore from the previous battle that at taken place only a few hours before, she managed to ignore the pain long enough to finish cooking.

She took notice of her father's impatience and she simply shook her head. Nathan was never the best cook, so the only option for both of them was for Erin to take a cooking class. Otherwise, they would be eating TV dinners every night.

Nathan looked up as he noticed something odd. "Hey..."

"Huh?" Erin turned as she grabbed two plates from the pantry.

"Why are you wearing long-sleeves? It's like eighty degrees out." Nathan pointed to the pale pink sweater she was wearing.

She glanced down at her covered arms as she thought. Unfortunately she received a few small bruises from the battle. She had carefully hid them before he could notice, until now.

"Oh...I…" She set the plates down as she smiled sheepishly. "I must be catching a cold or something...I've been feeling a bit chilly." She pointed to her sweater as he raised an eyebrow.

_Excuses and lies._

She thought silently to herself, _is this the way it's always going to be from now on with him?_

"Hey." Erin looked up from her thoughts as he broke the silence. "I just asked about the sweater, no need to look all depressed about it now." Nathan shook his head as he walked over to the small table. "Why the hell are you frowning about all the time?" He sat back in his chair as she listened. "I wonder who you get this attitude from, certainly not me. Your mother was never this way either."

Erin stood on the opposite side of the room as she glanced down. "I'm sorry..." She lifted her head back up with a smile. "I've just got a lot on my mind lately. I guess I haven't paid much attention to my actions. But I'm fine."

She was well aware that she had been thinking too much, but she never realized how much it affected the way she acted. Too many things were happening in a short amount of time. She just discovered that there were alien robots walking around, beings who talked and showed emotion just like people. Beings she felt bad for...

She stopped as her mind went back to the scene of Megatron beating one of his troops. She shook her head as she sighed. _I shouldn't have felt bad in the first place...he was bad._

She sat down at the table as one thought still lingered.

_But...I wonder what will happen to him now? _

* * *

Outside the occupied city area near an old mine, lay the small Decepticon ship which was hidden under a cloaking device.

Fortunately that same device allowed Soundwave and the others to land on Earth without anyone detecting them.

Blackout remained seated as his optic twitched at the constant tapping noise. Jetstrike was tapping her foot impatiently as she leaned against the wall next to Blackout and Barricade.

The interior of the ship was indeed extremely cramped as the three attempted to keep their distance from one another.

Blackout's rusted armor made squeaking sounds every time he moved, causing Skywarp to threaten to kick him out of the room if he didn't stop moving. Barricade kept suggesting going to the repair room and having something done about the squeaking, but each time he did, he received a glare from Blackout's direction. Blackout was very much aware that his condition came from being under water for so long, however he planned to have the worn-out armor fixed as soon as possible.

Barricade's patience soon ran out and he reached down, grabbing Jetstrike's taping foot. "Do it one more time! I dare you!" He narrowed his optics as Jetstrike simply smirked. Clearly she was getting on his nerves on purpose for her own entertainment. With Decepticons around, there was never anything fun to do but scheme and glare at each other. She was simply attempting to make the best of her free time with the overly defensive Cons.

Barricade did not find her actions funny at all though. With another threat about to escape his mouth-plate, she sighed before kicking his servo away and pushing her way through the crowded room. "Well, the only femme in the room and you kick her out." Jetstrike opened the door as she turned to face Barricade. "Want all these mechs to yourself, hun?"

"Get out of here, you worthless, annoying, pathetic femme!" Barricade shouted as he pointed a sharp servo her way. "I can't look at your unappealing frame for one more second!"

"Unappealing?" she shouted back as she clenched her fist. "You get over here and say that again, four-eyes!" she threatened as the other mechs watched.

Barricade began to charge at the femme only to stop dead in his tracks as Soundwave approached behind the femme. The silent solider simply grabbed Jetstrike by her wing and hauled her out of the room, making her stumble back in the hallway. He then shot a deadly glare through his red visors at Barricade and the rest of the Cons as if to say 'Shut up or I'll rip out your vocal chords'.

"**Jetstrike, return to the monitor room**," Soundwave spoke in his usual monotone voice as she nodded with a look of disappointment on her faceplate.

_Megatron's Throne Room_

Starscream fell back into the wall before he heaved his body back up, sparks flying from his shoulder.

A punishment.

Despite the fact that being beaten and humiliated by the Decepticon leader was common back during the war on Cybertron, Starscream had forgotten what the pain truly felt like. Until now.

But this was different from before. Before, the beatings were brought on when a plan to win didn't go through, or when Megatron was humiliated by losing a battle. Starscream seemed to serve as his personal punching bag in order to relive stress and make him forget about his loss. But now, Megatron had a good reason for this beating. He had caught Starscream in multiple lies and even discovered his treacherous behavior. Despite the pain, Starscream managed to keep a straight face. He wouldn't dare give Megatron the pleasure of seeing him in pain by Megatron's servos.

This beating consisted of several gashes and scratches on his armor, causing wires and internal mechanics to be exposed and weakened. Starscream could barely move his left arm since Megatron had just attempted to rip it out of its socket. Megatron also damaged his right optic, making him currently blind on that side. However, Starscream remembered going through worse, such as the time Megatron tore off his wings in front of the entire Decepticon army.

_I won't show fear!_ Starscream swore as he watched the leader pull back. "Heh...have you finally relieved all your stress and anger now, Master?" he taunted, with a sarcastic tone.

Megatron simply walked over to the other side of the room and began putting something together.

"Normally I would let you leave now." He turned around and revealed a large, sharp blade with sparks emanating from it. "But you have finally revealed your treacherous ways, and your crimes will not be so easily forgiven!"

Starscream optics widened as he backed up against the wall. "No! You wouldn't!"

"Now everyone shall see you for the treacherous piece of filth that you truly are, Starscream!" He grabbed a hold of Starscream's wing as he hauled him up against the wall and stabbed the blade into his armor on his shoulder.

"Let's carve your crimes!"

...

Jetstrike walked into the monitor room as she leaned back against the wall. As usual there was nothing on the screens. _No one can detect us, so monitor duty is not necessary!_ She thought to herself as she heard someone approaching the room. Quickly, she stood up and made it look like she was keeping an optic on the screen like she was supposed to.

The doors slid open as she remained facing the screen. "No need to check up on me Soundwave. I'm not slacking!" She wheeled around only to not find Soundwave standing in the doorway.

Standing there, using the doorframe to hold himself upright, was none other than Starscream. Energon slowly fell to the ground with each step he took.

Her optics widened, as she looked the scars on his body up and down. The symbols on his armor were not small scratches, but rather they had been carved into his body.

"Starscream..." She whispered, still in a bit of shock at the amount of damage Megatron had caused this time.

_Those symbols..._She thought as she eyed them. Seemed Megatron had permanently carved onto Starscream's body Ancient Cybertronian symbols that meant and stood for exactly what Starscream was; Traitor, liar, deceitful, selfish, the symbols went on.

"Starscream, are you...? Starscream, you know I wasn't the one who told Lord Megatron what I knew! I didn't have time to, he must have figured it out all on his own, I swear!" She reached for him only to have her servo brutally smacked away.

"Don't touch me, you cretin!" he snapped, pushing her away. "I don't need your pathetic pity!"

_His reaction was typical,_ she thought to herself as she released a sigh and walked to the door. Starscream was in fact a traitor, and she didn't trust him herself. Even though those symbols were put on him in a brutal manner, she felt they fit him, that they were already a part of him. The only difference now was that he would never get the chance to fool someone again since his intentions were carved on him forever.

Which meant...he would probably end up alone and hated.

* * *

**Author's Note: **

_First a huge thank you to my beta reader mistflyer1102!_

_I wanted to incorporate Starscream's 'tattoos' from Revenge of the Fallen, and finally managed to do so. Yes they will be permanent._

_Chapter Title- Green- Usually symbolizes nature, healthy, but also; jealousy, __inexperience, envy, and misfortune._


	6. Turquoise

_Erin Everett, Riley Phillips, and Jetstrike belong to me, and therefore those characters require my permission to use! _

_Leiana Grey belongs to Ninjalala aka Artists_Inquisition_

_Rose Connelly belongs to Bells of Eden_

_Jade Rivers belongs to Icarian Angel Wings. _

_Kia Hawkins belongs to weapon13white fang. _

_Zaru Kiys and the Club Kunoichi belongs to Zaru-san_

_All characters used with full permission from their owners!_

* * *

**The Heroes Amongst The Stars**

_Part One Of The Monochrome Fate Series_

Chapter 6

_Turquoise_

* * *

_October, Almost Five Months Later _

The past summer seemed to fly by faster than Sam had hoped. Unfortunately, the end of the summer meant several events; high school starting back up again and the Autobots leaving. Although they managed to stay till mid-August until they were called back to N.E.S.T. headquarters, Sam found himself hating the fact that the Decepticons were back, even if they had been in hiding since their last battle. But that also meant however that the Autobots would be coming back soon in order to keep an eye out for them in case the Decepticons decide to turn up around there again.

As Sam walked down the crowded school hallway, he took notice of the other Autobot allies.

Leiana was casually leaning against her locker, looking in her backpack so she didn't notice Sam walk by. Between the two newcomers to the Autobots' secret, Leiana seemed to have bonded the most with them. She had already known Sam and Mikaela for years and seemed to take a liking to Ironhide's company. Unlike Sam, Leiana was not afraid to approach the weapon's specialist and start up a conversation. His size and rough appearance didn't seem to frighten her or make her nervous in any way. Perhaps it was her lack of fear that made Ironhide appreciate her company as well.

The same could not be said about Erin, who was getting a few books out of her locker as Sam walked by her. Unfortunately, Erin was not so open and social like Leiana was. Not that she avoided anyone, Sam could tell she tried every time she walked into the base to start a conversation, but in the end she would sink back as everyone else talked and calmly listened. When Sam brought up the subject of her behavior, she would usually apologize and state that she had never really been a social person to begin with. But she assured Sam that she was trying hard to change that and stop being so shy around others.

He stopped walking when he spotted Mikaela walking towards him, smiling. "You're going to be late to history class, Sam," she reminded him as she walked by, patting him on the shoulder.

Sam glanced at his watch as he waved to her and took off for his classroom. "Thanks 'Kaela!" he shouted from down the hall.

Mikaela sighed with a smile as she approached Leiana who was also heading towards class. "Hey, I almost forgot to tell you!" Leiana turned as the two of them walked together. Mikaela lowered her voice as a few students passed by. "I heard they might be here by this afternoon instead of tomorrow morning."

"Ugh, dammit I wish I didn't have detention!" Leiana moaned as Mikaela raised an eyebrow.

"What did you do Leiana!" Mikaela stopped walking.

"Nothing! Some guys put a tack on my science teacher's chair and blamed me! And the dumbass believed them!" Leiana folded her arms across her striped long-sleeve shirt as she sighed.

"That sucks!" Mikaela agreed as she went back to walking. "How about I get Ironhide to drive me back here to pick you up after?" she mentioned as Leiana's mood lifted.

"That would be awesome! And while you're at it, you can have him run over the guys who got me in trouble!" She laughed as they walked into the classroom.

"Let's not turn Ironhide into a wanted criminal here Lala." Mikaela chuckled as she took her seat. "But I bet he would do it if Optimus wouldn't kick his ass for it!"

* * *

The young William Lennox stared at the two towering mechs before he sighed and shook his head. Judging by what he was seeing, Autobot science and muscle did not work well together.

Wheeljack and Ironhide's constant disagreements made that clear to him.

It seemed that whenever Wheeljack tried to come up with a scientific approach to a problem, Ironhide would immediately disagree, always! Ironhide also made it known to everyone at the base that Wheeljack was not to be left alone with anything technical and important. Stating that everything he touched blew up, Ironhide was all too happy to tell the troops the story of why Wheeljack wore a faceplate, saying he once blew off his mouth and nose when an experiment went wrong.

Wheeljack strongly said this was not true, but refused to take off his faceplate. It seemed Ironhide just might be telling the truth.

Will knew that interfering at this point was not necessary. However, when the two started shoving each other around, then he would always have to step in or get Optimus to.

"Major Lennox." Will turned around as the Autobot leader approached him. "I thought you were sent home for the weekend?" The mech stood next to him as they both watched the bickering soldiers.

"Yeah...my wife's been calling me non-stop." Lennox chuckled as he put his hands in his pockets. "I guess I should be going. I see Ironhide and Bumblebee are scheduled to leave tonight too." He glanced up.

"Indeed, but it seems someone has forgotten that." Optimus nodded to the weapons specialist. "Ironhide, have you forgotten what time it is?"

The bulkier mech swung around, stopping his rambling as he faced his leader.

"I haven't forgotten, slag it Prime!" he huffed as Wheeljack and Lennox glanced at each other.

Out of all the Autobots, Ironhide seemed to be the only one who would talk to Prime like that, Lennox thought since he never recalled anyone else snapping at the Autobot Leader like that.

"Hey! Optimus!" Maggie and Glen came running in the room, looking worn out.

"Glad we caught you before you left." Maggie took a second to catch her breath. 'You know how you said Megatron wasn't fully recovered in your last battle? Didn't the Decepticons steal the Allsaprk shard we had locked up?"

"Indeed they did, using it to resurrect him," he said, nodding as she listened.

"Well you see, that's just the thing!" she pointed out, shuffling through her papers in her hands. "According to what you said, the Allspark's full power would have brought him back even stronger than he was before! It doesn't add up, which means..."

"He didn't get its full power." Lennox finished as he held his chin.

"The Allspark requires a host, hence the cube it had been stored it for thousands of years. We thought that when it shattered, the Allspark transferred its power to the single shard left...perhaps only a fragment of its power got transferred into the shard." Optimus pondered.

"Unless it really did get destroyed completely and that shard had whatever remaining power it had left." Ironhide interrupted.

"I'm thinking that it stored its power somewhere else that day," Maggie added. "Maybe it sensed what would happen and put a small bit of power into the shard, tricking the Decepticons away from where it really stored its full power...Optimus? What do you think? From what you've told me, the Allspark did have a sort of presence, where it could think and act on its own, right?"

"We believed so..." Optimus sighed. "If that is the case then it seems we need to return to the scene where Megatron perished."

"I don't see how that would help, seeing as my team went over that entire area right after the debris was cleared, taking out those remaining Decepticons that the Allspark's pulse created." Lennox reminded.

"Well, did you use a super sensitive energy radar?" Ironhide asked. "You won't find anything using _just _your eyes, Major."

Lennox sighed, nodding in agreement as he reached for his phone. "My wife will not be pleased."

"I will alert Ratchet to be ready to depart with your team. His radar and scanner should be able to pick up any sign of Cybertronian energy." Optimus said.

"Getting in there won't be easy..."Lennox spoke up "I'll take my team and search the site, see if we can pick up any strange energy readings."

"Very well then," Optimus agreed as Lennox began leaving the hanger. "I will have Wheeljack accompany you there as well. Ironhide, I believe we should get going as well."

"Right Prime, I'll go tell the others." Ironhide walked off.

* * *

Nathan pulled up in the driveway as he spotted his seventeen-year-old daughter sitting in a rocking chair on the front porch, reading.

"Hey, it's a bit chilly out here...where's your coat?" he scolded while shutting the door of his car. "What are you doing out here anyway?" He stepped on the porch but her eyes never left her book.

"Waiting for you...what else could I be doing?" she said smartly as Nathan sighed. He snatched the book out of her grasp and gently slammed it on the top of her head.

"Don't be a smartass, missy!" He smirked before dropping the book back on her lap. "You make daddy feel dumb!"

Erin wrinkled her eyebrows as she spoke. "I wasn't being smart, I really was waiting for you to come home...I was bored and had no one to talk to."

"I thought you were hanging out with that Witwicky boy and his girlfriend?" Nathan took off his jacket as he sat down in the other chair. "Tired of being the third wheel?"

"I'm not a third wheel!" She sat up, placing her feet on the wooden boards. "That's why I don't bother them, they're a couple...they should be together, without me tagging along, so there."

"Oh the drama!" He lay back in his chair as he held his arms over his head.

Erin shook her head as she slowly stood up. "I guess I'll get started on dinner."

"Not so fast!"

"What?"

"You are going shopping this evening." Nathan smirked as he pulled his wallet from his back pocket.

"What for?" Erin asked as he held out a few twenty-dollar bills.

"A dress, a nice one, for a party."

"Party? Where?" she asked as she reluctantly took the money. "And I have my own money thank you very much."

"One of my client's birthday party. I helped him during a case where a bunch of his employees were selling ideas to another fashion business behind his back. The party is apparently at a very fancy country club so you know what that means!"

He smiled cheerfully.

_Too cheerfully._

"Fancy clothes..." Erin finished. She sighed while counting the money. "I'll find something not so expensive."

"Try and see if you can get '_Extravagant_' as the brand, that's the name of his fashion business," he pointed out. "'Cause honestly I don't know who he competes against in that business, but we don't want to...irritate him with buying something from competition."

"I doubt he's going to be checking everyone's dress brand...but I'll see what I can find." Erin laughed slightly; her father seemed to be taking this a little too seriously at the moment.

"Alright, I'll try and get dinner started without burning down the house, so hopefully when you come back everything here will still be in one place." He grinned sheepishly as he opened the front door.

"W-wait! So I have to walk to the Outlets?" Erin interrupted quickly, almost in a panicked tone, "...alone?"

_He should have seen that coming,_ she thought silently as she shrugged her shoulders a bit. It seemed ever since that night those Decepticons attacked, she'd been too scared and nervous to be out on the street alone. As if expecting one to just come barreling out of the woods at random.

"Again?" He sighed

"...again."

He sighed as he grabbed his keys. "Did you get mugged or something? You never had a problem going out on your own before."

"I can drive myself if you want. I'm just not comfortable walking..." She looked as he gave a somewhat hesitant look.

"No, I'd rather drive you there." He walked down towards his car as she followed.

* * *

"**Autobot signals detected, Lord Megatron**"

"Finally! They are on the move!" He clenched his fist. "And just where are they headed, Soundwave?"

"Oh, you'll love this." Jetstrike stood next to Soundwave as she placed her hands on her hips, glancing at the monitor. "Three signals are moving towards none other than the city of your demise."

"What? Why would they head back there?" he snorted, standing up. "What could they be looking for...?" He raised a large claw to the bottom of his faceplate.

He thought for a moment as he turned. "Starscream." The Seeker straightened up but remained silent. "Go and find out what they are up to. Do not engage them in battle, I simply wish to know what they are doing."

Starscream remained still as he held back the urge to snap some rude remark such as: 'Are you too afraid to face the scene of your pathetic death?' He glanced down at his scarred armor as he let air escape through his vents.

"As you command, Lord Megatron." He lowered his top half in a bowing stance as he narrowed his optics.

"If you get this right I may just have to restore your rank as Second-in-Command," Megatron taunted with a slight cackle. "Go now!"

Everyone remained silent as Starscream exited the room, closing the door behind him.

"Soundwave" Megatron said, turning to face the communications officer. "I want you to send Lazerbeak to follow him."

"**As you command Lord Megatron**! **Lazerbeak deploy, follow him**!"

"Of course, Master!"

* * *

Lennox hopped out of the Hummer as he began setting up his scanner. Luckily, the city evacuated the civilians away from the area, stating there was a threat present and giving Lennox's team only thirty minutes.

"Alright, let's get this over with Ratchet." he hit the side of the scanner multiple times to get it to start up. "Thing's a piece of crap."

"Allow me, Major Lennox." Ratchet transformed as he started up his own scanner. "Besides, I wouldn't trust anything Wheeljack invents." He made a slight smirk as the white Ford Mustang pulled up behind him, revving his engine in to show he heard Ratchet's remark.

"He heard that, I'm sure." Lennox sighed as the mech transformed behind therm.

"I hoped he would." He noticed Wheeljack's somewhat unpleasant reaction.

"Hey, I'm picking up a signal...but it's an Autobot." Lennox stared confused as Ratchet scanned the area.

"It's Arcee, looks like she decided to tag along."

After a few minutes the medic was nearly done scanning their surroundings as Lennox and his team followed.

"I'm not picking up even the slightest signal, Major." Ratchet sighed as he pulled his scanner back.

"You don't think the Cons' found it, do you?" Epps stood beside Lennox as he wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"I don't think so." Wheeljack walked up, turning off his own scanners.

_Above the city..._

_"You sure the Allspark didn't transfer itself to that shard, Ratchet?"_

_"Positive Major Lennox. Megatron would not be in the state he is in now had he gotten its full power."_

_"So how do you explain it not being here, where its previous host-the cube-got destroyed?"_

The copper F-22 listened in on the conversation, staying a far distance from the enemy.

"So that's why they are here...seems they don't know where the Allspark's full power is either."

Starscream stopped as he suddenly picked up a faint signal attempting to cloak itself.

_Lazerbeak...I should have guessed!_

He sneered as he sped up.

"Don't want me to get noticed by the enemy, Megatron?" he shouted as he came to a halt, quickly transforming into his bipedal form in the air.

He spotted a nearby helicopter as he turned around while making sure Lazerbeak was in view. "Very well then..." He took off and snatched the helicopter by its tail, taking the passengers by surprise. "I'll start a riot oh Great Megatron!" His tone oozed with sarcasm as he quickly spun around and launched the helicopter straight down towards the Autobots.

"Major Lennox, look out!" Ratchet quickly leaped forward covering as many humans as he could as the broken helicopter fell on top of his frame.

"Ratchet!" Wheeljack ran forward as he pulled the debris from his comrade. Ratchet sat back up to show the unharmed soldiers.

"What the hell was that?" Epps got to his feet as he wiped dirt from his pants.

Ratchet spun around as he glanced up at the incoming Decepticon. "Starscream! Everyone get back!"

"The Cons' picked up our signal!" Wheeljack took cover as he pulled out his gun.

"Major, get the wounded to safety now!" Readying his machine gun, Ratchet fired upon the Decepticon.

Quickly dodging the bullets, Starscream swooped down and pulled out his buzzsaw. "You're too slow, Medic!" He attempted to cut Ratchet's machine gun off but failed when the medic pulled out his own buzzsaw to counter his.

Using his left servo, Starscream grabbed Ratchet's face, covering his optics.

"Lousy cheater!" Wheeljack ran up and grabbed his arm and pulled it back until sparks began jolting out of the Decepticon's shoulder.

Cringing at the pain, he lifted his foot and shoved the Autobot away. "And since when do Decepticons play by the rules?"

"Starscream, if you are looking for what we are, I strongly advise you look somewhere else!" Ratchet held off each of his attacks as Wheeljack got back up. "It isn't here! There is no need to harm the innocent!"

"Again! Don't you realize who you're dealing with?" The way they were trying to reason with him-like he was an Autobot with morals and guilt. How pathetic! "We're at war! Time to give up your lousy peaceful nature!"

Ratchet found himself backed into a building when he began picking up an incoming signal.

_Arcee_

The pink femme suddenly came into view as she pulled out her single blade, swinging it directly at the Seeker.

She was taken by surprise when he quickly snatched her, hauling her up and crushing her small frame.

"Now that was a foolish move!" Starscream taunted as he threw her at the medic's chest-plate.

"Arcee, are you all right?" Ratchet scanned her quickly, snatching her up and bolting away from the attacks. "Wheeljack can you hold him off while I get her out of here?"

"Can do!"

Ratchet carried her to their human allies who were readying their weapons. "Major I strongly advise you to stay here!"

"You're kidding right? Ratchet that guy's beating all three of you, look at Arcee." Lennox nodded to the femme, whose armor was now severely crushed.

"All the more reason for you and your troops to stay out of this one!" Ratchet straightened up as he pulled out his gun. "Starscream nearly took out Ironhide and myself at the last battle, you do not know what he is capable of."

"Hey now, wait a minute..."

"No time Major, I can't leave Wheeljack for too long!" He took off towards the fight leaving Arcee in their care.

"You okay girl?" Epps walked up to Arcee as she nodded.

"I'm fine, thank you for asking." She tried to stand up but the crushed leg gave out on her. "He's taken me out of the fight...slaggit all!"

"Bout time!" Wheeljack shouted as the medic arrived. "He's taken out my weapons!"

"Then allow me." Ratchet aimed at Starscream as he held up his own cannon.

/_Starscream!_/

_/Lazerbeak...you choose to stop me now?/_

/_I have recorded this entire fight and am sending it to Soundwave. You can bet he will show your lack of following orders to Lord Megatron_/

There was a long paused as Starscream took a few steps back from the Autobots.

_/Little snitch!/_

"We will have to continue this later," he sneered before transforming and taking off.

Wheeljack raised an optic ridge as Lennox's team emerged from the alleyway. "He was winning, why retreat?" he asked, turning towards the medic who was helping Arcee up.

"Let's just be happy he left before anyone else got harmed, Wheeljack." Looking down at Arcee as she managed a faint smile-telling him she was okay.

"What now?" Epps asked, standing in front of the medic.

"I will report to Optimus. You are free to go back to your homes."

* * *

Leiana was lying back on the blue couch in the human quarters of the base, reading quietly as Bumblebee sat in the corner of the room quietly.

Sometime while reading, the small mech had crept into the room without saying a word and just sat there.

She sighed as she sat down her book and sat up. "Can I help you Bumblebee?" She asked as he looked somewhat happy at the fact that she finally noticed him.

"I'm bored," he said plainly as he moved closer.

"So you came in here...to watch me…read?"

"Well, actually I've been waiting for the rest of the bots' to show up...Arcee decided to go with them to Mission City," he said dropping his voice.

"Missing your girlfriend?" she teased as she walked up to him.

"S-she is not a girlfriend...she is a close friend..." He trailed off waving his hands in protest.

"More like a...Spark Mate perhaps?" She watched as his expression looked shocked. Before he could even ask how she knew about that term she answered for him. "Ironhide told me about it. So I guessed."

"Then I guess he mentioned Jetstrike?"

"Yep." She sighed as she sat down on his knee. "Rather sad story huh?" She looked up at him as he tilted his head, making it hard for her not to go 'aww' at how adorable he looked doing that.

"Some Cybertronians like to keep their...relationships private." He glanced at her. "So..."

"Not a word, right?" She smiled up. Although it was already obvious, she understood that Arcee and him wanted to keep their relationship private at the moment. She wasn't about to tell him everyone else already guessed they were spark mates.

"Bumblebee, I have news from Ratchet." Ironhide walked in as both of them turned. "They are on their way here...Arcee took quite a bit a damage though."

Leiana leaped off as the mech got to his feet. "What happened?"

"Apparently the Decepticons had been waiting for our signals to re-appear, Starscream attacked them." He folded his arms as Bumblebee headed out of the room to wait for them to arrive.

"What's up Hide'?" Leiana waved casually to the large mech who seemed to be glaring at her. "What?"

"I understand you got into trouble at your school today?" He raised an optic ridge as she sighed.

_What is he, my father?_

"Yeah." Before he could speak she continued. "But I didn't do anything, some guys put a tack of the teacher's chair and blamed me...so I got detention. No big deal since I really didn't do anything." She shrugged her shoulders as he leaned down to her level.

"I assume you gave the ones responsible what they deserved?" He narrowed his blue optics as she smirked.

"Wow, I told Mikaela to let you come and beat them up for me. But no. I didn't pay them back, unfortunately."

"Well I suppose you'd really get in trouble then." He stood back up as he turned towards the door.

"Hey, where are you going?" Leiana walked beside him as he made his way to the Autobot courters.

"There is something I need to take care of," he continued. "I just hope Prime will take my advice."

"Advice? On what?" She listened as she kept up with him.

"Back at N.E.S.T, we picked up a signal from two more Autobots who managed to escape Cybertron. However, I think it's best they be given certain rules, such as they aren't allowed to leave N.E.S.T.'s base at all!"

"I take it you know them? Are they troublemakers?"

He clenched his fist as he stopped and looked down. "The worst! Those two caused so much trouble back on Cybertron! What with their pranks and never showing up for duty!"

"They sound wonderful." Leiana said sarcastically. "But we don't have any prankster Autobots, so this could be fun." She smiled once she noticed the hint of annoyance in his features.

"Oh, you just wait until Ratchet hears this! They pranked him more than anyone. I'm certain he will agree with me when I talk to Prime!" He huffed as he folded his arms.

"Want me to help you keep them in line?" Leiana asked as they started back walking.

"Trust me, you don't even want to meet them!"

"Well, what are their names?"

"Sunstreaker and Sideswipe!" he said with a disgusted tone.

* * *

_Cybertron_

"I'm a scientist, not a warrior!"

The large silver mech shouted to himself as he skidded to a halt behind a wrecked ship for cover. Despite his size, he found himself no match for Shockwave's troops, who were closing in on him and his teammates. They could only hold them off for so long before their defenses broke.

He took note of his damages as he re-loaded his gun. He just hoped to rest of the team found cover as well.

He couldn't even bring himself to fire at the enemy. He wasn't programmed for war, and it wasn't in his spark.

_/Skyfire I need backup!/_

_/Cliffjumper!/_

Skyfire began to panic a bit as he glanced at the oncoming enemy. _/I don't think I'm close enough...is anyone else closer.../_

_/They're all dead Skyfire!/_

_Silence..._

_Dead?_

_/All right...I'm coming./_ He sighed as he slowly stood up. _I'm coming_...he couldn't move.

_I can't just sit back!_

_/Skyfire now!/_

_/I-I'm on my way!/_ Refusing to listen to his fear any longer he took off, dodging bullets form the enemy as he pinpointed Cliffjumper's location.

_/I'm almost there, Cliffjumper/_ he paused.

_/...Cliffjumper?/_

Suddenly the signal went out as he came to a stop. His spark was beating against his chest as he panicked.

_No!_

Heading to Cliffjumper's location, Skyfire stopped as he spotted the broken corpse of the red Autobot.

"C-Cliff...jumper?" He quickly leaned down and scanned for any signs of life.

_None_

_He's...offline..._Skyfire dropped his gaze as he sat down. "I didn't make it in time to help."

"I found one!"

He looked up at the close-by voice, which came from a yellow mech approaching him.

Skyfire recognized him as one of the only Autobot Twins, Sunstreaker.

The mech glanced down at the corpse before looking up at him. "You're lucky...so far everyone that was a part of this team we found have been offline. Except you."

Skyfire lowered his head as he looked down. "Because I was hiding."

Sunstreaker paused for a moment as he picked up his twin's signal nearby. "We're looking for survivors to come with us to meet up with Optimus Prime. He sent a message out a while ago and a few troops have been following it and leaving Cybertron to find him." He turned as his brother, Sideswipe, approached in his red armor.

"You can come with us if you want," Sideswipe spoke up. "There is nothing left here after all."

"I-I don't know..." Skyfire sighed as he stood up straight.

"Well, if you change your mind. Here are the coordinates to his location."

"Sunstreaker, we better get going. The Cons' are heading this way again."

Skyfire watched as the two transformed and drove off. True there was hardly anything left on Cybertron. He couldn't stop the Decepticons on Cybertron. _But I can help Optimus and his team_. He scanned over the coordinates and Optimus Prime's message.

Seems there were Decepticons on their new planet as well.

_There is nothing left for me here._ He thought as he heard the troops moving closer. Perhaps it's time to start anew. Perhaps it's time I started to act like a warrior and stop hiding.

He quickly transformed into the large ship as he headed off, tracking the coordinates to the planet, Earth.

* * *

_The Med Bay..._

Optimus watched the medic examine the small femme as she reclined on the berth.

Despite given orders to head back to base, Arcee had taken it upon herself to go along with Ratchet and Wheeljack. As soon as she spotted the Decepticon Seeker she didn't even hesitate to attack.

Even though she sustained crucial damages to her outer frame, Arcee stated she did not regret leaping into battle like that.

She wanted revenge for what Starscream had done to her dear friend Bumblebee back at Mission City.

"I apologize Optimus..." She looked up at the leader. "I guess I couldn't help myself." She smiled slightly before lowering her head.

"There is no need to apologize Arcee." She looked back up. "You didn't disobey my orders for revenge, you had no idea Starscream would be there. You left in order to assist Ratchet and Wheeljack. However..." His tone changed. "Next time the odds aren't in your favor, do not jump into battle without thinking it through."

She nodded as Bumblebee watched over her closely. She turned and gave him a quick glance and smile.

Ratchet glanced up at Optimus as he changed the subject. "There were no traces of the Allspark Prime. Not one. I'm sure Starscream will report that back to Megatron as well."

"Ratchet..." He lifted his head up as Arcee sat up a bit. "Did you get a good look at those markings on him?" She tilted her head.

"As a matter of fact I did. Only a few though, they were ancient Cybertronian words carved into his armor." He explained.

"Why would he do that to himself...? Sounds painful." Bumblebee shrugged his shoulders.

"I doubt he did. Translated those words meant; traitor, deceitful, selfish...they were nothing more than insults. Clearly not done by himself." He added. "My guess is Megatron did it as a punishment.

"Optimus!"

Nearly everyone but Optimus and Ratchet jumped as the weapon's specialist opened the door, loudly.

"Ironhide you idiot this is a medical room! Be quiet!" Ratchet scolded.

"What is it Ironhide?" Optimus asked, although he had already guessed.

"About what I suggested earlier..."

"My answer is still the same." Optimus watched as the black mech's expression hardened. "Those twins are as much a part of this team as you are. Besides, maybe having them close by will help them learn to behave..."

Ratchet made a similar face as Ironhide as they both glanced at each other, sharing the same feelings about the Autobot twins arriving.

But seeing as Optimus wouldn't change his mind, they would just have to deal with it.

* * *

_The Next Morning..._

Sam sat back in the driver's seat of the yellow Camero as he waited for Mikaela, who was in serious need of her morning coffee at the shop.

"What's the plan for today?" Bumblebee chirped through the radio as Mikaela got in the car.

"Wait till I've had my coffee Bee!" Mikaela laughed as she handed Sam his cup.

"I know a few of the Autobots will be out tonight, waiting for two new arrivals. Leiana said she was going with them, and Erin apparently has to go to some party. So I guess it's just us and whoever decides to stay at the base tonight."

They sat in the parking lot as a tall redhead exited the shop, her hair up in a neat ponytail as she held her laptop in one hand and coffee in the other.

Honestly, Rose preferred tea instead of coffee, but seems she could never find anyone who made it as good as the tea back in England.

She carefully slipped her computer into her purse before glancing at the parking lot. She did a double take as she quickly recognized one of the vehicles parked.

_That's the ass that tried to run me over! _

She noticed two people sitting in the car as she decided to go over and try to politely ask for an explanation.

"But I thought..._holy shit_..." Mikaela took notice of Sam's face as he looked out the window.

"What are you looking at?" Mikaela quickly nudged his shoulder.

"Look at this girl's _legs_." He stared as Mikaela simply sat back in her seat. "Hey, I think I know her...why is she coming over here...Why does she look angry...Mikaela?"

_Too late..._

"Hello there" Rose leaned down to Sam's level as he rolled down the window, looking a bit surprised.

_She's British... _he thought as she glanced at his car.

"Do I look familiar to you?" she asked calmly as Sam noticed Bumblebee messing around with the radio, usually that meant he was trying to tell him something without blowing his cover.

"Uh...no I don't...should I?" Sam rested his elbow on the door as he made several glances at Mikaela, who remained silent.

"Any other car and I would have never found it, this however..." Rose striated up and she tapped the top of the car. "Sticks out like a sore thumb." She looked back down at him as he looked clueless. "I believe you nearly ran me over a few months ago?"

"Ran _you_ over? N-no I didn't! Honest, and I would have remembered you. I mean not in a bad way...no, I mean you have unforgettable legs and..._no...wait_...I didn't mean" He stuttered as he held his forehead. "What were we talking about?"

"Smooth..." Mikaela smirked slightly as he went a tint of red. She leaned forward so Rose could see her as she spoke. "He lends this car to a lot of people, so I'm sure it was one of them. Sam's a good driver so it couldn't have been him. _And_..." this time she looked at him. "Sam couldn't possibly forget _those legs_. Right Sam?"

_Mikaela, you are not helping!_ Sam watched as she sat back and Rose just lifted an eyebrow.

"Yeah so, it wasn't me...but I think I do know you from school, but that's about it." He nearly jumped when Bumblebee started the engine. "But I do apologize for the idiot who was driving at the time!" Bumblebee made a soft whining sound through the radio.

Still looking a little unconvinced, Rose sighed. "Alright, Sam, was it? I'll believe you. I would however like to meet the one who did try to run me over..." She raised an eyebrow. "Let him know that alright." She straitened back up and walked away.

"Bee you idiot! When did this happen!" Sam whispered as he rolled the window up.

"Sorry Sam! It was a few months ago when you slept late, so I went for a drive..." The radio spoke sheepishly.

"Sam, don't be so mean to poor Bumblebee!" Mikaela buckled her seat belt as the car pulled out. "I'm sure it was an accident, so let's forget about it."

Rose watched as they drove away, sipping her coffee before checking her phone.

_7 messages..._

_Damn!_

She knew who it was too. Riley had been bugging her to come to her father's birthday party down at the Country Club. Rose said yes, but the girl kept checking to make sure, stating she didn't want to be stuck at a dull party will old people.

Rose wasn't looking forward to it, but she didn't have any other plans for the night.

...

"Strange..."

"What is it Bee?" Sam leaned back in the car seat.

"I'm picking up Ratchet's signal nearby...I wasn't aware he was on patrol duty tonight," the radio answered.

"There he is!" Mikaela leaned forward as she pointed towards the parked Hummer.

"What's he doing?"

"Let's go ask!" Mikaela leaped out of her seat as the car stopped. Running up the mech, she placed her hands on the hood of the vehicle. "Hey Ratch! What are you doing out here?"

No answer

"Umm...you sure this is Ratchet?" Sam tapped the side of the ambulance.

"Sam, what other ambulance has a paintjob this bright? Please, he sticks out so much! It's him, he's just ignoring us." Mikaela laughed. "There is no one around Ratchet, you can talk."

"Hey...isn't this Erin's house." Sam noticed as he faced the driveway.

Ratchet finally spoke. "Optimus has informed me to be on patrol duty this evening just in case something goes wrong when those two slaggers get here. He also asked that I'd be her temporary Guardian for tonight as well since we have to make sure each of you is under surveillance. Especially since the Decepticons will be out tonight for sure."

"What makes you think that?" Mikaela glanced down.

"Because they can detect the incoming Autobots in your planet's atmosphere when they arrive. Landing in an unknown planet will make the two of them vulnerable." He finished speaking.

"Does Erin know you're here?" Sam finally questioned.

"...she should be aware of the situation by now." Ratchet said blankly.

"Dude you didn't tell her? She might think you're stalking!" Sam laughed a bit. "How about we tell her, I think her dad knows us."

Walking up the driveway, both teens stepped on the small porch before knocking softly on the door.

It quickly opened after a few more knocks to reveal a rather disheveled looking man attempting to fix his tie. "Can I help you?"

"Yeah, we're Sam and Mikaela...Erin's friends?" Sam rubbed the back of his head.

"Oh, well she's getting dressed...so..."

"I'm ready Dad, it's fine." Erin's voice came from up stairs as her footsteps could be heard.

"Alright, well I'm not." Nathan said sheepishly before walking away.

Gently coming down the stairs with her shoes in her hand, Erin noticed the two of them. To their surprise she was dressed in a black dress going above her knees with white fabric going around the top half around her small chest.

"Hey, what are you guys doing here?" She walked to the bottom as she smiled, looking a bit uncomfortable.

"Aww! You look great!" Mikaela said cheerfully. "And we came to warn you about your stalker, Ratchet." She pointed behind her shoulder as Erin leaned out looking.

"Umm...why is he here?" She glanced up confused.

"The Decepticons might be out tonight due to those new Autobots coming, it's just a safety precaution."

"Oh alright..." Glancing at the Hummer "I won't be here anyway, so there really is no need." She shrugged her shoulders.

"Yeah, but you know Optimus, he wants to make sure everyone is safe." Sam laughed slightly.

"Besides, Ratchet's on patrol duty tonight, so he'll be out anyway." Mikaela reminded. "Well, we won't keep you, have fun and if you get bored around all those old people just step outside and talk to Ratch'!"

"Pfft! He's old too!" Sam said as Ratchet could clearly be heard shouting.

"I heard that boy!"

Mikaela struggled to hold back a laugh as Sam went pale.

Erin smiled as she shouted out towards the mech. "Don't worry Ratchet, I don't think you're old!"

He simply mumbled to himself, "Looks like you've made him mad." Mikaela nudged Sam.

* * *

_Decepticon Base_

Megatron walked in through the sliding door as the Decepticons straightened up.

"Three Autobots are making their way though Earth's atmosphere tonight. We will be capturing them before they can get to their fellow Autobots," he sneered as he peered around the room. "So...who will help me capture them?"

Both Thundercracker and Skywarp stepped forward to stand next to Soundwave.

"We leave at once!" Megatron ordered before narrowing his optics and glaring at the third Seeker who approached. "Ah Starscream, coming along to cause me more trouble?" He watched as the Seeker clenched his fist.

After arriving back from what was supposed to be a fact-finding mission turned battle, Megatron paid him back by nearly tearing his arm off in front of the Decepticons.

However, he knew better then to expect the Seeker to have learned his lesson.

"I...will not fail this time, Lord Megatron." Starscream lowered his head to hide his narrowed optics.

However, his rage was divided between two concerns this time. The first was obviously his hate for the Decepticon leader was made him the laughing stock of the Decepticons yet again. The other he didn't even want to think about, something he discovered during his first battle with the Autobots after Megatron's revival.

It seemed this planet hated him as much as he hated it.

"We shall see!" Megatron said darkly before leading his troops out the door.

...

"Would you stop walking like you're on stilts?" Nathan shook his head as he watched his daughter walking carefully in her shoes.

High-heels were not her friends.

"I don't want to stumble," she stated as the cold outdoor breeze brushed against her shivering skin.

Once inside the Country Club, she glanced around the large room.

"Come on." Nathan nudged her forward to keep walking. "If I don't say hi to the host, I'll be rude. You come too."

Following him through the large number of people, she finally squeezed though the crowd as she found her father shaking hands with an older man.

"There she is." Nathan snatched her by the shoulder and hauled her next to him. "This is my daughter, Erin! Erin, this is Allen Phillips and his wife Rebecca."

Clearly, they were the hosts of the party, so she smiled and spoke shyly. "It's nice to meet you."

"Well I imagine she's bored in here with all these old people!" Allen laughed as he swung his hand on her back, patting her rather hard and making her shoulders shrug up.

"Why don't you go out on the balcony dear?" His wife looked down at her as she smiled. "Our daughter is out there with a friend, she's around your age."

"She'd love to!" Nathan pushed her forward.

She hated that, people speaking and making decisions for her. But she knew she couldn't be rude, so she nodded and walked away.

"I'm so fucking bored!"

Erin stopped once she reached the balcony where two tall girls were looking over the railing.

One apparently had a foul mouth on her, despite the occasion.

"Who's that?" The person who commented on being bored glanced over her shoulder.

Erin stiffened as she rubbed her arm. The girl turned around as she swung her long raven-black hair behind her shoulders, showing off her short, strapless dark-green dress.

"Hello." The other girl turned around, revealing her face. "Are you as bored as we are?" She laughed, folding her arms across her black and purple dress that went down to her knees.

She was extremely tall with deep red hair flowing down her back.

"Do you speak?" The raven-haired girl said slowly, only to receive a gentle smack on the shoulder from the red-head.

"Yes...hi!" Erin slowly approached them as the black-haired girl simply raised an eyebrow.

"What's your name?" she asked leaning against the railing.

"Erin Everett."

"Ooh, so you're my father's lawyer's daughter!" she pointed out.

"I've seen you around school too, right?" The red-head added as Erin nodded. "I'm Rose, and this is Riley, please excuse her...attitude." She smirked as Riley narrowed her emerald eyes.

"Rose, I am not in the mood!" Riley tapped her high-heels in anger.

"I could always leave the party, seeing as I came here as a favor to you." Rose shrugged her shoulders as she grinned.

"I'm gonna go get a drink." Riley began to walk away as Rose called after her.

"Have you forgotten, you're only seventeen dear!"

"I know that damn well!" She spun around, placing her hands on her hips. "Who the hell said I was going to ask anyone for a drink!"

Rose began walking after her, he heels tapping on the tile as she spoke. "Riley, you dumbass, you're going to get caught!"

Rose came to a halt as she turned around before heading inside. "Sorry, we'll be back!" She waved her hand before fleeing after the black-haired teen.

After a good fifteen minutes, Erin's patience began to slowly disappear as the cold air made goosebumps appear on her bare arms.

Out of curiosity, she decided to go and see if the Autobot medic had indeed followed her to the Country Club. It would also be an opportunity to see if the others had made contact with the new team members.

Quickly walking thought the crowds of people, she exited the front door only to spot the bright ambulance parked as far as possible from the other vehicles.

Ratchet had kept his scanners on the entire evening since he hesitated to go into recharge mode. He found himself getting more annoyed by the fact that his systems were not functioning properly, and to add to that, his spark had been acting up as well.

That had never happened before.

He paused as he heard the young human femme walking cautiously in the grass towards him, her heels in her hand as she walked barefoot.

Once she was close enough, Erin spoke. "Is everything alright?" She leaned closer.

"I was just about to ask you that..." Ratchet said through the radio. "I can't think of any other reason why you would come all the way out here."

She looked a little bit taken aback by his tone but shrugged it off. "I just came out here to check and see how you're doing. Have you heard anything from the others?"

"I have not," he replied. "You should go back inside, my scanners tell me the temperature is dropping and your apparel is not suited for this weather."

_Since when do Autobots do research on human clothes?_

She raised an eyebrow in amusement.

Although he was right, she was indeed freezing. "I kinda want stay out here...I don't like being in large crowds."

She nearly jumped back when the passenger door swung open.

"Well then, I can't have you out here catching a cold so get in!" he said. She nodded quickly before doing as he said.

"Thanks." She closed the door as she rubbed her cold arms. "Although I'd prefer to stay out here...I do feel a bit guilty for just walking out on those two girls..."

_Perhaps they forgot, or were caught up in something else..._ she told herself as she leaned back.

/_Ratchet!/_

Sitting back up rather quickly, Erin glanced down at the radio.

Both quickly listened to the incoming signal on the radio as Optimus spoke.

/_I hear you Prime. What is it?_/

/_It looks like we may need that backup after all!_/

* * *

**Author's Note:**_ This chapter takes place a few months after the previous one. _

_Turquoise can be depicted as refreshing and sophisticated. _


	7. Silver

_Erin Everett, Riley Phillips, and Jetstrike belong to me, and therefore those characters require my permission to use! _

_Leiana Grey belongs to Ninjalala aka Artists_Inquisition_

_Rose Connelly belongs to Bells of Eden_

_Jade Rivers belongs to Icarian Angel Wings. _

_Kia Hawkins belongs to weapon13white fang. _

_Zaru Kiys and the Club Kunoichi belongs to Zaru-san_

_All characters used with full permission from their owners!_

* * *

**The Heroes Amongst The Stars**

_Part One Of The Monochrome Fate Series_

Chapter 7

_ Sliver_

* * *

Leiana leaned in the medical bay doorway, glancing at Sam, Mikaela, and Bumblebee who were keeping Arcee company.

"You sure you don't want to come?" she asked as Sam nodded.

"You go ahead. Besides, if there is a fifty percent chance that the Decepticons will show, you can forget me going," Sam answered.

"Are you coming or not?" Ironhide stomped behind Leiana as he walked towards the exit. "We haven't got all evening!"

She quickly walked after him as they walked out together.

"You are so tense, huh?" She laughed as he transformed, Optimus and Wheeljack doing the same. "You _really_ hate these guys?"

"You will too once you meet them! Trust me!" Ironhide grumbled through the radio.

Out of the human allies, Leiana was the only one who volunteered to accompany the Autobots on their way to greet the two new teammates arriving.

She did take note about the Decepticons showing up. They would have easily picked up the incoming Autobot signals.

After they traveled a few miles, she finally broke the silence. "Where are they landing?" She rested her chin in her hand as she looked out the window.

"Somewhere where no civilians will spot them, an open field outside of the city. We are not that far now." he added, speeding up.

He continued driving as he picked up multiple Decepticon signals. "They're early," he growled as Optimus came on the radio frequency.

_/We will not engage them here! Wait till we reach away from the city!/_

"I've got five on my radar and it... wait!" Ironhide stopped as his radar showed three signals breaking away from the course. "Where are they going?"

_/Optimus you said two Autobots were arriving!/_ Wheeljack interrupted.

_/There are two, Wheeljack./_

_/Then why the slag am I picking up a third!/_

They all paused as the third signal appeared on radar, coming in at a few yards from the Twins' landing area.

_/Ironhide and Wheeljack, continue on course to the Twins, I will track the third!/ _The semi-truck pulled off the road and headed after the three Decepticons.

"Wait just a minute! You'll need back-up, Prime!" Ironhide shouted.

_/Then I will alert Ratchet, now go!/ _

Leiana sighed as the shouting between the two finally stopped. "Ratchet is close by anyway right?" she asked before Ironhide came to a screeching halt. "_Ack_! Warn me next time!"

"Yes he is. Now, out!" She rolled her brown eyes before leaping out of the truck and onto the ground.

"Ironhide, incoming!" Wheeljack shouted, and he was already in his bipedal form.

Thundercracker and Skywarp soared above before transforming and firing upon to two.

Leiana quickly sprang out of the way and into the bushes for cover.

What looked like two large meteors came soaring above, quickly drawing her attention towards the sky. She covered her ears and got down on the ground right as they came crashing a few yards away.

"What the hell was that!?" She glanced over the cover of the bushes as smoke and debris cleared from the crash site.

"Move it!" a voice shouted from the area.

"Hold on just a..._ack_! Why did you land so close to me!?" another yelled back.

"Decepticons! Come on!"

"Slag and here we are still in protoform!"

Suddenly two large figures quickly skidded out of the debris, on two wheels each, and nearly flew by her, causing her hair to fly all in her face.

_The Twins?_ She thought as she ran back towards the fight, after them.

"Gotcha!" Skywarp cackled as he pinned Ironhide down with his foot, pointing a missile launcher at him. "Eh?" He lifted his head up as a figure slammed into him, causing him to go flying off the Autobot.

"Well, losing your touch?" The protoform smirked as he rolled on his wheels instead of feet in front of the mech.

Ironhide mumbled a few curses as he got to his feet. "Get your sorry aft out of my face!" He shoved him away.

"Aw, I think he missed us!" The other protoform, looking slightly similar as the first, rolled next to his brother.

"Hey!" They turned as Wheeljack was struggling against Thundercracker. "Stop chatting and fight!"

Skywarp got back on his feet while quickly transforming and flying off, only to come back at a tremendous speed and aiming his missiles at the two.

"Looks like this calls for a bit of Jet Judo!" Sideswipe shouted as he hauled his brother up and tossed him in the air, straight at the Decepticon.

Ironhide grumbled as the two came hurtling down to the ground. He glanced around as he suddenly remembered.

_Leiana!_

He spotted her staying a distance away in the bushes where she was too occupied with watching the twins bringing down the Decepticon.

Soon after that, he noted Ratchet's signal incoming.

* * *

...

/_Looks like we may be needing that backup after all!_/

Quickly starting his engine, the medic took off, apparently not noticing the extra cargo.

Erin nearly slid out of her seat as she gripped the edge of it.

"Wait Ratchet!" She glanced back at the now small Country Club. "You forgot something!"

"Prime is outnumbered by Megatron and his troops!" he spoke through the radio. Clearly he was in too much of a hurry to stop.

"Hold on, I'm still in here!" she said louder as he didn't seem fazed. "Ratchet!"

"No time now, we're close anyway! It shouldn't take long!" Erin continued to hold on, and she seriously hoped it wouldn't take too long or else she would have some explaining to do.

_Sure, he seemed concerned about the climate outside a minute ago! But he doesn't care about the fact that he's driving me straight into battle!_ She thought to herself as he came to a halt.

She saw this as her cue to get out as he started transforming. She backed up a few feet clearly hearing the sound of battle nearby.

Now she really wished she hadn't left her shoes back where Ratchet was parked. Not to mention the nearly freezing weather.

"Stay here and stay out of sight!" he ordered before taking off towards the commotion.

Erin glanced all around quickly, keeping her guard up. The icy cold wind made goosebumps appear on her arms and legs as she crouched down, trying to keep the wind from hitting her face.

Ratchet just dumping her off without a second thought really made her come to terms with just how little she could do... or how little she was thought of.

_I shouldn't think of it like that._ She rubbed her arms. It was only natural Ratchet wouldn't pay too much attention to her, or anybody when something like this happened.

She couldn't blame any of them after all; she never tried to get close to them. But not even stopping to let her out was a bit extreme. She thought as she felt the cold mud seep in-between her toes as she made a face of disgust.

She was forced out of her thoughts as shouting was heard all around. Luckily it sounded far away from where she was.

Hopefully it stayed far away.

* * *

The large mech emerged from the hole in the ground he'd made upon landing.

Skyfire glanced around as he scratched his helmet.

He knew he couldn't be that far from the two Autobots he followed. However, he seemed to have trouble locating their signal.

Skyfire sighed as his shoulders slumped. "What do I do now...?"

He quickly leaped back as a blast shot by him, penetrating a few trees.

His optics widened as the large mech emerged from the shadows, recharging his cannon. "Beg for mercy Autobot!"

With another shot, Skyfire jumped to the side, dodging the blast yet again. However his size made it difficult to move fast enough as he was struck in the arm the third time the blast went off.

"Slaggit!" He cursed, scooting back.

Megatron stomped forward as two other mechs appeared behind him. "Let's not make this difficult, Autobot. Soundwave, Starscream, please escort out prisoner back to the base."

Skyfire's optics widened as he glanced at his old friend. "S-Starscream!?" he shouted as the mech ignored him. "You know, back when the war started, I didn't want to believe the rumors that you joined the Decepticons... I thought you were better than that." he said, lowering his voice as his optics narrowed. "I now see I was a fool to believe that!"

Skyfire looked down sadly as he clutched his wounded arm.

Soundwave was nearly pushed back a few feet as a blast coming for the woods hit him in the chest-plate.

"I wouldn't give up so easily, Skyfire." Optimus emerged with his cannon steaming from the round he just shot. "Especially after traveling all this way." He pulled his faceplate forward as he readied his blade in one hand and cannon in the other.

Without a word, Megatron quickly fired on the Autobot leader as Soundwave and Starscream grabbed Optimus's arms and tried to hold him still.

Skyfire was ready to stop the mech but was cut off by the sound off another cannon going off. This time the blast came from the Autobot medic who rushed in out of nowhere.

Firing multiple times, Ratchet managed to fend off Soundwave and Starscream from holding Optimus, who took the opportunity to slam his arm into the nearest 'Con, sending him back further into the woods.

Starscream had the bad luck of being said 'Con.

* * *

"Oh no you don't!" Ironhide shouted as he grabbed Thundercracker by the head and slammed him to the ground.

Wheeljack stood next to him as he glanced back at the Twins who were handling Skywarp. "Those weapons are quite annoying." He spoke through his faceplate before pulling out a saw. "Let's get rid of those."

Ironhide rolled his optics as he walked over towards the bushes, hearing Thundercracker scream out curses.

"You haven't run off, have you?" Ironhide huffed as a brunette head popped out of the bushes, grinning.

"Right where you left me." Leiana smiled as she kept shooting glances at the Twins. Unlike the others they seemed to fight more hand-to-hand combat style and they were very agile.

"Seeing something you like?" Ironhide snapped her out of her thoughts as he spoke with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"They're very good," she added as he raided an optic ridge. "I take it those are the two you hate?" He looked up at him as he nodded. "Perhaps you're jealous of their fighting skills?" She smirked once she noticed his optic twitch.

"Please, they're just skating around, if I hadn't weakened Skywarp before, they wouldn't stand a chance." He folded his arms as he turned away.

Leiana simply shook her head as she smiled. Looking around, it seemed as though everything was under control here. "Shouldn't you go help Optimus?" she asked as he glanced down at her.

"Ratchet is here now, though I'm picking up three Decepticon signals from there. Perhaps I should lend a hand." He readied his cannon. "Do me a favor and make sure those two buffoons don't do anything stupid."

She rolled her eyes as he walked off. She went back to watching two Autobot twins, wondering just what it was they did that made Ironhide hate them so much.

_Not good! Not good! _

Erin panicked as she fell back in the dirt, the ground trembling under her body.

_What happened to them being far away?_ How did this one land right next to her? Clearly she wasn't far enough.

If it wasn't for the fact that a deadly giant wasn't at her side right now, she'd be worried about her dress getting extremely dirty.

Showing up back at the party dirty sounded a hell of a lot better than showing up dead!

Starscream cursed in his native tongue as he staggered to his feet. Currently unaware of the small human stumbling under her own feet in an attempt to flee, he brushed the dirt off of him as he took a step forward.

He paused once he heard heavy breathing coming from below. He quickly looked down as he spotted the human trying to stand once more after slipping in the mud.

Erin spat out the dirt that went into her mouth as she pulled herself up, she stopped for a moment when she noticed the sudden eerie silence.

Reluctantly at first, she turned her head only to spy a pair of red optics glaring down at her. She gasped in horror before getting up on her feet and running.

Starscream growled in annoyance as he reached to snatch the human up, but missed when she ducked.

After a second attempt he managed to snatch her by the leg as she screamed while being dragged in the dirt towards him.

"R-Ratchet!" She cried out over and over again, only to receive no replies. "Someone! Hel...ah!" Something suddenly hauled her up by her leg, nearly slipping from his grasp.

_/Starscream!/ _Megatron's voice shouted through the radio, taking the 'Con by surprise. /_I know you're still out there, get back here now! The Autobots now have us outnumbered!/_

Starscream shut off the radio as he continued to hold the human, who was now completely pale, shaking, and staring in fear.

* * *

Megatron cursed as he heard the Seeker shut off the radio link. _He just ruined his last chance to live!_

He glanced at his wounds, where sparks were flying out and then took note of the severe damage Soundwave had received when the Autobot Weapons Specialist arrived suddenly.

_/Soundwave, retreat at once!/_ he shouted. Soundwave simply nodded before firing at Ironhide and Ratchet before taking off. _/Skywarp, Thundercracker, this is an order! Retreat at once!/_

"Not so fast, Megatron." Optimus pointed his cannon at the Decepticon.

Before anyone could reply, a loud scream echoed through the woods.

Optimus shot a look of concern at Ratchet, who suddenly realized who the scream belonged to.

"Slag it all!" Ratchet cursed as he began to run, only to be shot down by Megatron who took off after the scream.

"Seems my former Second-In-Command found one of your pets!" he cackled as Optimus took off after him.

"Prime, wait up!" Ironhide shouted as Ratchet got back to his feet with help from Skyfire.

Erin cried out again as she heard shouting in the distance. They heard her! Her relief died once she spotted the larger Decepticon emerging from the trees, pointing his cannon at the Seeker's head.

Without thinking she shouted, "L-look out!" Starscream quickly wielded around to face Megatron's canon.

"L-Lord Megatron… I was..." He was cut off by Megatron's raising voice.

"I've grown tired of your insubordination Starscream! Your failed attempts to terminate me, and your lack of following orders! They've grown old and downright annoying!" he shouted as Optimus approached from behind with caution once he spotted Erin in the Seeker's grasp.

"Stand down Megatron!" Optimus raised his weapon.

"Prime, do you really intend to stop me from eliminating this treacherous piece of garbage?" Megatron sneered as Ironhide came into view.

"Of course he doesn't!" Ironhide interrupted. "We just want the human in his hand! Then you can blow the slagger to smithereens for all we care!"

_Does anyone like this guy? _Erin found herself thinking amongst the arguing mechs. Somehow she felt saddened by how easily the Autobots could say something like that. She glanced at Optimus who made eye contact with her for a brief moment before speaking.

"Freedom is the right of all sentient beings, no matter what you feel is right or wrong. And therefore I cannot let you take out an unarmed solider so easily." Optimus said. Ironhide was about to protest, but stopped when Optimus shot him a stern look.

Megatron growled under his breath as he glanced around. "Doesn't matter what you believe Prime. Even if I don't kill him here, once we return to base I will terminate him in front of the entire Decepticon army. You cannot protect everyone Prime, especially when it is one of my soldiers!"

Erin began looking nauseous since being held upside down for so long was starting to get to her.

There was a long silence before Optimus finally spoke. "Then he'll come with us." This caused an outburst before he even finished the sentence from both Ironhide and Starscream.

"I don't need your help Autobot!"

"Prime, have you scrambled your circuits?!" Ironhide shouted.

Starscream argued, "What makes you think I'll go with any of you!? I don't need anyone!"

"See? The slagger doesn't even want help so why bother!?" Ironhide shook his fist attempting to shout louder than Starscream.

"Enough!" Optimus shouted, taking nearly everyone by surprise. Suddenly both Decepticons' attention was driven to the sound of shouting as two F-22s came flying out of the woods and into the distance.

Seemed Skywarp and Thundercracker managed to escape, and retreat.

Ironhide took their distraction as a chance to fire his cannons at the Decepticon leader, who was nearly knocked down.

_/Lord Megatron aren't you retreating?/ _Skywarp asked over the radio link. _/We barely escaped the other three Autobots, they're heading your way!/_

With the enemy outnumbering him, Megatron cursed and transformed, taking off while shouting something in Cybertronian.

All weapons were now pointing at the Seeker who quickly swung his arm back, making Erin harder to reach.

"Prime..." Ratchet emerged from the woods with Skyfire behind him. "My... apologize. I take full responsibility for putting Ms. Everett in harm's way." He glanced at Erin who was holding her dress so her underwear wasn't visible to the world.

Optimus nodded before turning his attention to Starscream who continued to hold up his cannon.

"What will it be Starscream? You can either come with us as a prisoner or as an ally." Optimus continued speaking, ignoring Ironhide's outburst. "Ether choice I can assure you, we will not take your life as Megatron would. Seeing as you obviously cannot return to the Decepticons, please make your choice."

_How gullible can Optimus be?!_ Starscream thought as he glanced around for an opening to retreat. None... why would he lower himself to being on their side?

Then again...he thought. The one thing he hated more than them was Megatron. Perhaps overthrowing and defeating him would be easier with them helping.

He schemed quickly as he noted their patience was growing thin. As soon as Megatron was defeated, he could easily overthrow the Autobots after gaining their trust.

It would take time... and it would probably drive him crazy just pretending to be one of them... but his choices were getting smaller and smaller in numbers and right now he was more focused on not getting his spark ripped out by Megatron.

Ironhide's shouting snapped him out of his thoughts. "He's not gonna side with us, Prime. For Spark's sake you're wasting time!"

Starscream narrowed his optics at the mech as he sneered. "You've got me all figured out, is that it, Autobot?" He turned his attention to Optimus. "Very well then... seeing I don't have much or a choice and I'd like to remain functioning. However do not expect me to agree to all of your pathetic pacifism so easily." He smirked as he noticed Ironhide was one the verge of losing his temper.

"Prime, I'm not one to question your choices but... are you certain you know what you're doing?" Ratchet asked quietly.

Optimus finally spoke up. "Do not think you have my trust yet, Starscream. For you will have to earn it." He glanced down at Erin, who was wiggling in Starscream's grasp; she was clearly nauseous. "You can start by letting Ms. Everett down please. I fear she is getting sick from being held upside down."

Starscream turned his attention to her as she glanced at him, looking relived that someone finally told him to stop.

"Oh, you mean this?" Starscream sat her down on the ground, not gently either. "You really shouldn't let your little humans go running off Prime, that's bad leadership skills," he said in a smartass tone.

Erin sat down as she felt her head spin. She looked up at Ratchet with a slight expression of irritation. "Can you please take me back...?" She got to her feet slowly, worried that someone would notice she went missing. "I don't want my father to worry."

Optimus nodded to Ratchet who led her out of the woods before transforming. Erin climbed up in the seat as she leaned back. How she was going to explain her disheveled look, she didn't know and honestly didn't care.

* * *

Leiana coughed as she got back to her feet.

At first, it seemed the two Seekers retreated, but then the dark purple one decided to attack with a cannon.

As the smoke cleared, she spotted Wheeljack straightening himself up.

"Are you alright?" He leaned down as she approached him.

"Yeah, I'm fine." Leiana looked around as the two twins approached.

"Slagger got a lucky shot!" The red one argued as he shoved his brother. "Looks like they retreated."

"What now...WHOA!" The yellow one took a step back once he spotted the small human. "Native! We've been spotted!" He pointed a finger at Leiana, who raised an eyebrow.

"Relax, Sunstreaker." Wheeljack folded his arms. "There are a few humans who know of our existence. This is one of them." He nodded down to Leiana who waved.

"I'm Leiana, please to meet you!" She grinned as both twins hesitated before leaning down.

"What is it?" Sideswipe question as they pondered.

"Are all 'humans' so small?" Sunstreaker pointed only to receive a slap on his finger from the teen.

"Don't go pointing at me!" Leiana shouted, annoyed at the fact that they were talking about her like she wasn't even there.

"It touched me!" Sunstreaker leaped back a few feet as he grabbed his hand.

"Over reaction much!" Leiana put her hands on her hips. She was starting to see why Ironhide and Ratchet disliked these two.

"Sunstreaker, Sideswipe, that's enough." Wheeljack interrupted. "We've got bigger problems."

"Like?" Sideswipe asked.

"Looks like we're taking a Decepticon home with us." Wheeljack shook his head as both twins glanced at each other.

"Wait... what happened?" Leiana followed as he transformed into the Mustang. "Is everyone alright?"

He opened to passenger door for her to get in as he spoke. "No one was seriously injured. It's not my place to question Prime... but I think he made a bad decision..."

* * *

"I...apologize." She lifted her head slightly as the radio spoke. "That was foolish of me to not put your safety first."

Of course she was upset at his act, but his apology seemed sincere. Seeing as he probably had enough on his plate already, she simply smiled slightly. "Everyone makes mistakes sometimes. I forgive you."

She sighed as they came to halt in front of the Country Club. She hoped out and grabbed her shoes, which were right where she left them.

"Thanks for the ride," she said before heading up the steps and sitting down outside the entrance.

He drove off as she waved from her spot. Looking in his mirror he noticed two young humans coming out the entrance, shocked by Erin's appearance.

"I told you we'd get in trouble!" Rose scolded Riley who stuck her nose up. "Just because you flirted with the bartender doesn't mean he'll give you alcohol if you're underage, you bloody idiot!"

Rose was truly amazed that her friend did these things without even thinking twice about it. How careless.

Riley glanced to her side as she took a step back, spotting Erin sitting on the ground she shouted, "What the hell happened to you!?" She pointed as Rose turned.

Erin sat up as she attempted to brush some of the dried mud away.

"Are you alright... you look... horrible." Rose raised an eyebrow at the younger teen's appearance.

Erin thought quickly as she got to her feet. "I fell..."

"You fell?" Riley folded her arms, looking slightly annoyed. "Fell into what, a swamp!?" she asked sarcastically.

"I tripped walking outside and fell into the dirt," Erin explained. "So I thought I'd wait out here till the party ended." She looked down at her dress.

Rose checked her watch, seeing that the party was almost over anyway. "Love, you could have just said something, I'm sure you could have cleaned yourself up in the bathroom." Rose sighed, shaking her head. "Besides, it's bloody cold out here!"

Erin leaned inside as she noticed the party started to dim down.

Finally, her father came out.

"Hey there you..._oh my God_, Erin what the heck happened!?" Nathan grabbed her shoulders, looking confused. "You're... well, look at you!"

Erin looked down as she mumbled, "I fell in the dirt while taking a walk outside." Her expression looked somewhat troubled as he stared at her. "It's no big deal, can we go?"

"Hey!" She snapped out of her thoughts as they walked to the car. "What really happened?" Nathan asked again now that they were alone. "No one's around, you can tell me."

"I said nothing..." Erin got in the passenger seat as he started the car.

For the rest of the ride they both remained silent until they pulled in the driveway.

He laughed. " I'm still curious about how exactly you fell in the dirt," he said, raising an eyebrow. "Somehow, I feel like you're lying to me." He noticed worry appear on her face as he laughed again. "I was only kidding! It sounds suspicious, but then again, who kept saying you were going to fall in those heels?"

"Yeah..." Erin looked down as she headed towards her room. "I'm heading to bed, I'm rather tired."

Collapsing on her bed, she finally got the chance to relax.

Although she didn't even know why she was so worn out.

_I didn't even do anything_. She closed her eyes. She really didn't do anything. In fact she never did anything. Seemed no matter what happened when she was with the Autobots, she always stood on the sideline and waited.

The only time she actually did something was when she was dragged into it, literally, like tonight. She would have just waited for Ratchet if that Decepticon hadn't snatched her.

Perhaps it was time she became useful.

* * *

_What in Spark's name was I thinking!?_

Starscream growled out curses as the Autobots disabled his weapons.

_How humiliating this is! _

However he figured if he'd left with the Decepticons, he'd be offline by now.

_So which was worse?_

"Of course, you understand why we are doing this, Starscream." Optimus stood as he folded his arms. Wheeljack had just finished removing his cannon. "Until you can be trusted, your weapons will be locked away."

Meanwhile Ironhide was in the background, huffing and puffing as Leiana leaned against his foot.

Leiana was equally mad about the whole thing as well. She thought the Autobot base was meant to be like a safe house... there was nothing safe about a Decepticon with an attitude problem! Despite wanting to give them a piece of her mind, Ironhide stopped her, stating it would only get her in trouble and he already tried getting Optimus to change his mind.

Sunstreaker and Sideswipe were helping Skyfire with his injury as he remained silent.

This was a bit too much for him in one night. But he found some happiness in knowing that his old friend was no longer an enemy. But he also found himself worrying due to Starscream's treacherous past.

Starscream was not one to join the Autobots due to a change in Spark.

"Hey, we met your little friend here!" Sunstreaker smirked at Ironhide as he nodded towards Leiana. "How cute, you've bonded with the natives."

Leiana's eye twitched as she turned away from him. "Ironhide, you were right." She smirked as she folded her arms a crossed her chest. "The yellow one is an ass!" She grinned wider as the mech shouted.

"_What _did you call me?" Sunstreaker walked in front of her as he shook his fist. "You don't know who you're talking about, human!"

"And _who_ are you then?" Leiana shot back as Ironhide watched, amused.

"My name's Sunstreaker! And I'll have you know I am one of the most handsome mechs on Cybertron, any femme would _kill_ for me!" He leaned down. "And you've got an attitude I don't like human!"

Leiana stood her ground, narrowing her eyes. "Is that right? Well, I don't give a damn what you think of me buddy. And take a look around, you aren't on Cybertron anymore, _Sunshine_!" She jabbed her finger in his faceplate as he leaped back up.

"How _dare_ you! I said my name was Sunstreaker! Not Sunshine!" He shouted louder.

"Would you shut your trap boy!" Ironhide got to his feet as he shoved the mech to the side.

Sideswipe simply laughed as his brother glared at him. "Remind me not to pick a fight with you." He nodded to Leiana.

Sunstreaker straightened up as he turned away. _Here I haven't even been on this planet for a day and I've been insulted! _

Leiana walked with Ironhide towards Optimus as she kept shooting glares Sunstreaker's way.

Way too much was happening! New Autobots, and two had already gotten on her nerves, and a Decepticon were moving in it seemed. At least the gigantic one seemed fairly nice, so that was some good news.

Starscream's optics shifted towards Leiana who stood beside Ironhide, glaring it seemed.

"Yet another flesh bag..._fantastic_," he said sarcastically, rolling his optics.

"Watch it, I just let the yellow one have it, don't piss me off too!" Leiana pointed up at the Seeker who didn't even flinch.

"Are you threatening me?" Starscream snarled as Ironhide stepped in between the two.

"Keep going and you'll give me a good enough reason to blast you into pieces." Ironhide threatened as Optimus sighed.

"Ironhide, please escort Ms. Grey home. They rest of us will head back to base," he ordered. "There, Starscream will remain under heavy surveillance for the time being. Understood?"

Everyone nodded as multiple mechs mumbled small disagreements.

Obviously there was no way to please everyone in this situation. Optimus shook his head as he scratched the tip on his nose.

* * *

Jade Rivers stood outside her house as she shivered in her coat. The eighteen-year-old continued calling for the cat that had slipped out the door.

Her mother currently had a bad cold, leaving Jade to go outside in the cold weather to find the feline.

"Jeffrey! Come on, it's cold out here!" Jade cried out as she walked around the yard.

She heard a soft 'meow' as she ran to the edge of her yard. The black and white cat was sitting in the middle of the street, cleaning himself.

Jeffrey never was the smartest cat...

"Jeffrey, stupid cat you'll get run over!" Jade walked out into the street as she picked the cat up. "Come on, let's go back inside."

She stepped on the sidewalk as a loud engine roared, causing her to turn back around. She soon noticed the incredibly large truck pulling up.

To her surprise, her own neighbor, Leiana, hopped out of the passenger seat.

"Thanks." Leiana shut the door as she started walking.

"Leiana?" Jade stood in confusion as she eyed the truck that remained parked. "That's...that's a huge truck!" She shook her head as she laughed.

"Jade... it's a friend's!" Leiana quickly spoke as she smiled.

Jade glanced at the truck as it continued to sit there. "Is your friend shy?" She giggled a little bit.

Biting her lip Leiana shrugged her shoulders. "You could say that, but he's got somewhere to be." She turned a quick glance at the mech as its engine roared.

Jade sighed as she held onto Jeffrey who was squirming in her arms. "Hey! Calm down, what is it?" Suddenly the feline slipped from her grasp and trotted towards the truck. "Jeffrey no!" Jade chased after him as he began pawing at the truck's exterior.

"_**Beat it rodent**_!"

Jade stopped in her tracks as her eyes widened. That voice was far too loud to have some from inside that truck. Jeffrey hissed as his back arched up.

Jade quickly snatched the cat up and leaped back a few feet from the vehicle as she shot Leiana a look of horror.

"What was that!?" She clutched Jeffrey, who continued to hiss. "You heard that right?"

Leiana sighed as she glared at Ironhide. How could he be suddenly so careless? "My friend really doesn't like cats." She looked at Jade's un-convinced face. "What?"

"I'm not stupid Lala." Jade replied as she glanced up and down at the truck. "That voice was way too loud, if this is some kind of prank it's not funny." She struggled while holding onto the feline who attempted to squeeze out of her arms.

_Another human who found out_? Leiana thought for a moment. This would defiantly not go well with any of the Autobots. But she could always blame Ironhide for letting it slip, seeing as it was his fault. But why would one more human ally be bad to them? Plus, Jade was possibly the nicest, most caring person she knew. Obviously, she couldn't think of another cover-up that Jade would believe.

"Lala!" She snapped out of her thoughts as she looked at her concerned friend.

As Ironhide shut down his engine, she glanced at him, wishing somehow he could tell her what to do without blowing his cover anymore.

Perhaps him shutting down his engine was his way of telling her he'll stay long enough for her to explain?

She certainly hoped so due to the fact that she was going to tell Jade the truth.

"Alright, I'll tell you the truth. But!" She lowered her voice. "You can't tell anyone!"

"Is it really that big of a deal?" Jade leaned in closer so she could hear better. "If it is I won't tell, but please hurry a bit, it's freezing out here!" She shivered.

"Ironhide, roll down the window," Leiana asked as he quickly did, revealing no passengers or driver.

Jade glanced in as she looked even more confused. "So this truck drives itself? That's it?" She raised an eyebrow as Ironhide spoke from the radio.

"Not exactly." She jumped a little bit as the voice came from the radio that time.

"Leiana?" Jade turned slowly as Jeffrey began hissing again, this time clawing at the truck. "What is this thing?"

Leiana walked next to her as she patted the side of the truck. "Jade, meet Ironhide. Ironhide is sort-of an alien robot." She grinned as she watched her friend's expression change.

Jade screamed as she nearly tripped walking backwards. "Believe me now?" Leiana laughed. "I'd love to have him transform into his robot self, but the neighbors might see."

"Y-You're serious?" Jade trembled slightly as she got back to her feet. "This isn't some mean joke?" Maybe it was because it was really late and she was half asleep. Or perhaps she had gotten brain-freeze from the cold weather, but something inside her was keeping her calm at the moment.

Though she would have never suspected seeing her neighbor bringing an alien into the neighborhood.

Leiana snapped her fingers in Jade's face. "Hey! You ok?" She watched as Jade took in a few deep breaths.

"Y-yeah." She pulled a small smile, her hands still shaking. "I'm just a little bit surprised by myself." She laughed as she turned towards her friend. "I'm actually not freaking out like I should be."

"Well..." Leiana put her hand on her shoulder as she laughed. "You're the first of us whose met the Autobots without being in a ridiculous situation!"

"There's more?" Ridiculous situations? What exactly have they been doing?

Why are they here? How long have they been here?

Too many questions for one night, seeing as she didn't want her mother to come outside wondering what took her so long.

"How about I explain everything tomorrow?" Leiana yawned as she felt her eyelids become heavy. "I'm tired as hell!"

"S-sure, I guess I should get Jeffrey inside." Jade glanced at the feline who finally relaxed in her arms. "But...you will explain everything?" Jade asked as the large truck began pulling away.

"Promise." Leiana began walking towards her own yard as she heard Ironhide leaving.

She wouldn't be surprised if he was mad as hell.

_Slaggit all!_ Ironhide cursed to himself as he drove down the highway. He had let his guard down and snapped in front of a human. This was the second time he caused a human to find out about his existence.

He dreaded heading back to base, knowing what he'd find there. Not only the two troublemakers, but a slaggin' Decepticon as well.

Getting closer to the base, he decided to go ahead and call Optimus to tell him about the human. He could already hear the twins laughing their afts off at him. He mumbled to himself as he turned on his radio link.

/_What is it Ironhide_?/ Optimus answered, sounding exhausted, couldn't blame him though, after all that's happened in one night.

/_Prime, we've got a slight problem._/ There was a long silence.

/_I'm listening_.../ Seemed Optimus was already expecting the worst due to their recent bad luck.

/_I...let my guard down. Another human knows of our existence, Prime./_ He paused as he heard a sigh on the other end.

_He's pissed..._

_/Ironhide... how exactly did this happen_?/ Optimus leaned against the wall of the base as he scratched his nose,

/Some _organic rodent was bothering me so I told it to get lost, only one of Leiana's friends was standing right there. But the girl said she'd keep it to herself... so that's alright for the moment right?/_ He really couldn't talk his way out of this one.

_/All right, I will deal with this tomorrow. At the moment I need to discuss something else with you when you arrive./_

* * *

Optimus knocked on the medical bay door before he entered, spotting Sam, Mikaela, BumbleBee, and Arcee.

"Arcee, how are you feeling?" he asked as she nodded.

"Much better Prime." She smiled as she noticed his stand off-ish attitude. "Something wrong?"

She froze and Bumblebee got to his feet. He picked up the signal too.

"Decepticon!" Bumblebee began running towards the door as Optimus put his arm out to stop him. "Eh? Prime, what are you doing? Can't you pick up that signal too?"

Sam and Mikaela got to their feet as the glanced up at the Autobot Leader.

"That... Decepticon is supposed to be here at the moment Bumblebee." Optimus spoke as Arcee got to her feet.

"Optimus who...?"

Sunstreaker and Sideswipe, who came rolling down the hallway on two wheels, cut Arcee off.

"Arcee babe! How's it going!?" Sideswipe waved as they showed off their new look.

Looking for the best, each twin had scanned a Lamborghini as their vehicle choice.

"Would you get out of here!" Ratchet came storming in, swatting the two away only to receive several laughs from them. "If I recall, those wheel-feet attachments were meant for battle use only! Not showing off! I catch you using them like that again _I'll saw your feet off_!" he shouted down the hallway.

During the commotion Bumblebee managed to slip out into the hallway only to ready his weapon. "Get back!"

"What...?" Sam and Mikaela leaned their heads out as they spotted the Decepticon Seeker standing right there "Oh shit!" Sam nearly stumbled over Mikaela as he yanked her back in the room.

"Starscream, what are you doing here!?" Bumblebee raised his cannon as Starscream went to do the same.

_What?!_ Starscream paused for a moment when his weapon didn't appear, before remembering. _Slag it all! _

"Put that thing away kid!" Wheeljack came stomping down the hallway this time.

It was then painfully obvious that the hallways in the Autobot base were too small for comfort.

Wheeljack had attempted to pass Starscream as Bumblebee moved closer, but this caused the three to be practically 'sandwiched' between the two walls.

"**Move it**!" Starscream shouted as he tried to shove both Autobots out of the way.

"Forget it!" Bumblebee pointed his cannon in the Seeker's chest. "You made the mistake of trespassing, Starscream!"

"Bumblebee! Put that weapon away!" Wheeljack tried to squirm his way out of the cramped space.

"Enough!" Optimus shouted over everyone and they froze. He approached the three, grabbing Bumblebee and pulling him out of the space. "Bumblebee, have you not heard a word I said?"

The smaller bot shrugged his shoulders as Sam and Mikaela came into view, Arcee behind them.

"I said he's supposed to be here." Optimus said sternly as the yellow mech tilted his head.

"As a... prisoner?" Sam asked for him as he glanced up at the towering Seeker.

"No, as an ally." Optimus scratched the side of his helmet as the uproar began... again.

"This is a joke right?" Sam laughed nervously only to receive a death glare from Starscream.

Optimus did not reply.

"Serious?!" Sam raised his voice. "Optimus really? This guy here? A Decepticon?"

Bumblebee stepped in this time as he huffed. "You think we can trust him? He nearly took out both Ironhide and Ratchet at Mission City." He turned to Arcee. "He nearly crushed Arcee!"

"What, none of us got a vote in this?" Sam asked. "I thought we were a team?"

"I apologize Sam. But my decision has been made." Optimus walked off leaving the two teens confused.

"And where are you going?" Bumblebee shouted after Starscream who walked down the opposite end of the hallway.

Starscream wielded around. "Please, you really think I plan on staying in this Spark-forsaken dump?" He narrowed his optics at the two humans. "Especially since you appear to have a rodent problem."

"Well we don't want you in here anyway!" Sam shouted. "You may have Optimus fooled but not me buddy!" Starscream continued leaving, ignoring his outburst.

Mikaela placed her hand on Sam's shoulder as he turned around. "Maybe...we should trust Optimus's decision." She whispered. "For now." She was upset as well at this sudden news. But getting on a Decepticon ,who has access to the base's, bad side seemed like a foolish thing to do.

BumbleBee clenched his fist as Arcee sighed. "You shouldn't have gotten so worked up." She smiled faintly as he looked at her. "But I do appreciate you standing up for me."

"I don't understand, why would Prime make such a risky decision?" Bumblebee asked. "And without a warning?"

Sam scratched the back of his head as he shrugged his shoulders, walking away.

"Where are you going?" Mikaela asked, following close behind.

Without turning around, Sam said, "To find out the whole story, and exactly why we are taking this guy in." Optimus didn't fully explain anything to him, and as one of their allies he should know.

He felt somewhat hurt by the leader's actions. They always made Sam feel like he was a member of the team.

_But since when do team members pull stuff like this_, he thought.

* * *

Optimus walked into one of the monitor rooms where Ratchet had just arrived, patching up Skyfire's wounded arm.

Optimus raised an optic ridge "You are aware that we have a medical bay, Skyfire?"

Shrugging his shoulders, Skyfire replied, "Seemed rather crowded in there. Besides I wanted to talk to you."

Optimus approached the two as he folded his arms across his chest plate. "Proceed."

"While I am glad to see my old friend on our side..." Skyfire scratched the back of his helmet.  
"I can't help but worry. Starscream isn't one to have a sudden change of Spark."

"You think Starscream is doing this for his own personal gain?" Optimus asked as he nodded. "Starscream has proved treacherous in the past and I too feel he won't accept our peaceful ways. Nevertheless, I cannot sit back and ignore someone in need of help. Even if he does not want it."

"So you don't trust him." Ratchet interrupted as he was working on Skyfire's arm. "I suspected."

"Not at the moment. In time perhaps, if he proves his trustworthiness. But for the time being, we will simply need to keep him under heavy surveillance." He turned to Ratchet.

"Ratchet, Ironhide informed me that another human has found out about our existence." Ratchet narrowed his optics as he sighed loudly.

"He let his guard down, didn't he?" He stood up putting away his tools "Skyfire, you're all done. Once you are feeling up to it, I suggest you find a proper earth disguise." -raising an optic ridge- "Though with your size that may be difficult."

Skyfire nodded before letting himself out.

"That makes five humans Prime." Ratchet scratched the tip of his nose. "This is starting to get out of hand."

"Agreed, seeing as we have not been around for the past few Earth months, I never assigned proper Guardianship to anyone. Sam and Mikaela have their Guardians already. But that leave Leiana Grey, Erin Everett, and now this new human ally." He pondered.

"Well I think I proved what type of Guardian I would be tonight, Prime." Ratchet looked down. "However if I am needed I will be more cautious of the humans welfare."

"Noted." Optimus spoke. "However I was thinking it might be better to assign some of our newer arrivals. Seeing as they could use an human partner as a sort of guide."

"So then they will be assigned to Skyfire, Sunstreaker, and Sideswipe." Ratchet noted.

Though he pitied the two humans who got partnered with those slagging twins.

"Almost." Optimus stopped him. "I'm thinking, perhaps giving Starscream some responsibility around here could help." He sighed as Ratchet's expression showed protest.

"That is a very risky decision Prime." He said sternly. "Placing one of the humans in danger, practically handing them over to a Decepticon?"

"Which is why I will let the human choose." Optimus replied. "I will not force any of them to be partnered with him."

"Prime, I know I've never questioned your decisions before..." Optimus placed his hand on his shoulder.

"I know Ratchet, this is risky. But as long as I'm leader I won't let any harm come to our allies, or any human." He walked away, leaving Ratchet alone in the monitor room.

"I just hope you know what you're doing."

* * *

**Author's Note: **_So it seems, four new bots join the team. _

_Silver- Looking at a color psychology point, it can symbolize a point of reflection and change of direction. _


	8. Purple (Dark)

_Erin Everett, Riley Phillips, and Jetstrike belong to me, and therefore those characters require my permission to use! _

_Leiana Grey belongs to Ninjalala aka Artists_Inquisition_

_Rose Connelly belongs to Bells of Eden_

_Jade Rivers belongs to Icarian Angel Wings. _

_Kia Hawkins belongs to weapon13white fang. _

_Zaru Kiys and the Club Kunoichi belongs to Zaru-san_

_All characters used with full permission from their owners!_

* * *

**The Heroes Amongst The Stars**

_Part One Of The Monochrome Fate Series_

Chapter 8

_Purple (Dark)_

* * *

_What am I even doing?_

Jade slowly followed the shorter female, twiddling with her dolphin necklace.

Leiana had been slightly surprised to see her neighbor, Jade, knocking on her door first thing in the morning. She just hoped Ironhide had informed the others of her arrival. Otherwise, this could get awkward.

Jade kept an even pace as she walked through the woods, keeping an eye on Leiana.

Unfortunately, she'd lost quite a bit of sleep the previous night, questioning whether she really did meet an alien or she was simply losing her mind.

However, Leiana kept assuring her that her sanity was fine and in place.

"Lala, I don't mean to be a pain, but how much farther?"

"Just right up here." Leiana pointed "I know it's a pain when you don't have a ride." She laughed slightly before walking out into the opening. "See? Told you."

Once Jade stepped out of the woods she glanced around at the large open area. The base stood directly in the middle as she looked up at the tall building.

"This place is huge!" She stared in awe as she continued to follow Leiana closer. "Do you ever wonder how no one's found this place yet?"

Leiana quickly turned around. "Hold on just a second! Let me go see if they know you're coming."

"Wait!" Jade walked after her again. "I'm coming uninvited? You never mentioned that!"

Next, the worst possible thing Leiana thought of happened.

Optimus Prime himself came walking around the corner of the building. His expression changed once he noticed Leiana, looking as though he was expecting her.

"I am glad you are here, Leiana." Then he stopped dead in his tracks as his gaze flew to the other young female.

Jade found herself practically frozen in place as the enormous being came into view. Her heart began racing as her eyes widened in both fear and curiosity.

'_How in the world is this even happening?'_ she asked herself as she stared way up at the being. It was huge! Way taller than she thought. How the hell did these things move around without anyone finding out?

She could tell Leiana was probably getting ready for an outburst from her. But she remained silent.

"Leiana, is this your friend?" Optimus spoke in a polite and soft tone as she snapped out of her thoughts.

"Y-yeah..." Leiana looked up. "But she's taking this way better than I thought." She folded her arms a crossed her red jacket. "Jade?"

"I-I'm Jade..." She finally spoke.

Optimus took a cautious step forward, careful not to scare her as he leaned down slowly. He extended a large finger out towards her as she flinched back just a bit.

"It is very nice to meet you, Jade." He smiled as she cautiously took his finger and shook it. "I am Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots, I have been informed of your arrival and I welcome you to our base."

_So formal as ever, Prime_. Leiana laughed slightly as she sighed. Guess Optimus would be the best bot for Jade to meet first. God only knows what would have happened if she saw grumpy Ratchet first, or worse Starscream.

_Great, he's here_. She slumped over.

"Would you like a grand tour?" Leiana interrupted as Jade's face brightened up.

"Can I?" She looked up as Optimus nodded. "Do I get to meet everyone else?" She followed behind Leiana into the base.

"Hold on just a moment, Leiana." Optimus straightened up as she turned. "Once you have time, I would like to discuss something with you."

"Sure no problem!" She waved before disappearing into the base.

Leiana walked in the entrance as Jade eagerly looked around. "Human quarters are that way, or do you want to see the bots' quarters first?"

Jade practically spun around. "The robots' quarters first!"

"You're rather jumpy." Leiana rolled her eyes as she led the way. But then again, this was Jade's personality. She was always looking on the brighter sides of things.

* * *

The yellow Camaro pulled up to the base as Sam hoped out, Mikaela and Erin right behind.

"So, he wasn't mad?" Mikaela continued her conversation with Erin.

"He believed me when I said I slipped and fell." She shrugged. "It was the only excuse I could think of."

"Bee, I don't know about heading in just yet." Sam walked by the now fully transformed Autobot.

"What's wrong with him?" Erin asked as they followed.

Mikaela chuckled. "Sam's afraid Starscream is gonna jump him the second he walks in the base."

"It's not funny, Mikaela!" Sam protested. "Guy nearly killed me twice!"

"Sam, I doubt he would be that stupid to try anything, especially with Optimus around." Mikaela sighed as they walked in, Sam keeping his guard up.

BumbleBee glanced around before speaking. "I don't see him..."

"Sam Witwicky! Give me your face!"

Sam shrieked in terror, nearly stumbling on his way behind BumbleBee as Mikaela and Erin jumped too.

They soon heard hysterical laughter.

"You should have seen your faces!" Sam glared as the ones responsible emerged from the next room.

Sideswipe and Sunstreaker were now bent over laughing.

Sam did not find it amusing.

"What the hell guys?" Sam shouted his voice rather squeaky. "That's not funny!"

"I thought it was." Mikaela smiled as she looked up. "Nice scare, guys."

"You really are scared of Starscream, aren't you?" Sideswipe taunted as he leaned down.

"Shut up man! We all are!" He turned to the two girls.

"Well, lucky for you, Starscream is currently outside." Sunstreaker added.

"By the way..." Sideswipe stopped laughing. "Optimus is looking for one of you."

He glanced back and forth between the three teens.

"Which one of you is...Errr...something?" He scratched the side of his helmet.

"Erin?" Mikaela placed her hands on her hips.

"Yeah that's it." Sideswipe smiled yet again.

"Why just me?" Erin looked at the other two.

"You probably did something wrong." Sunstreaker teased. "You're in trouble!"

"I seriously doubt that." Mikaela spoke. "She's so quiet, you barely know she's here."

This did not make Erin feel any better.

"I guess I should go find him then." She wandered off from the group.

* * *

Leiana stood in front of yet another large door.

"I think the new guy stays in here." She said before knocking on the door.

Jade quickly stopped her. "Hold on, maybe he's busy!"

She stopped once the door slid open. She was prepared to look up since the others were so tall, but this time, she nearly fell back trying to look all the way up.

An incredibly tall white and blue robot stood in the doorway as he glanced down, finally noticing the two.

"Can I help you?" He leaned down, but even then, he was still too tall.

Leiana, getting a neck cramp, looked down as she nodded to Jade. "I'm introducing everyone to Jade here."

The mech glanced at the other female who gazed up at him, a kind smile on her face; he couldn't help but smile back.

"Hello there, my name is Skyfire," he introduced himself.

"Hello, I'm Jade." She continued smiling as she was still amazed by his height. Despite his size, he looked rather kind. "It's nice to meet you Skyfire." She paused for a moment. "If you don't mind me asking, what do you turn into, you're rather tall compared to the others."

Skyfire was not surprised that she mentioned his height. He got that a lot, and now compared to the humans, he was humongous.

"I don't mind at all." He attempted to lean down more. "The only alt mode I could find was one of those space shuttles that the humans use. I had no luck finding anything else." He looked slightly embarrassed as she listened.

He had only seen a handful of humans since he arrived, which were the human allies at the base and some that morning while scanning his new alt mode. He was still amazed at how every single human was unique. She was no exception.

She was taller than Leiana, with a slight tan. Her dark brown hair flowed down her back as the hair on the sides of her face was blonde. She was wearing a kerchief that matched the light blue shirt she was wearing. Her chocolate eyes were wide with excitement.

Jade noticed the long silence before breaking it. "You just got here yesterday?"

"Indeed." he answered. "I am still getting used to my surroundings. "He shrugged.

Jade thought for a moment. For a large guy, he seemed quite nervous. "Perhaps I can show you around town sometime." She grinned, noticing his optics light up.

"Yes, I would like that very much." _His first Earth guide,_ he thought.

Leiana spoke up. "I should go find Optimus; he wanted to ask me something. Jade, are you fine on your own?" She asked as Jade nodded.

"Mmhm. I should be able to find my way around now, thanks Lala." She went back to talking with the mech.

"Why don't you clue her in on what exactly is going on between you guys and the Cons'?" Leiana suggested.

* * *

Once Leiana walked outside, she spotted Optimus right where she left him.

"Ok, I'm here." She approached him as he turned to her. "What was it you wanted to talk about?"

He leaned down. "Since we were gone at NEST's base for some time, I never got to assign you a Guardian."

"What you mean like what Sam and Mikaela have?" She tilted her head. "I didn't know you assigned them."

"Yes, but seeing as we have new arrivals, I would like to give them some responsibility around here." He scratched the back of his helmet. "Though I have a feeling your personalities would clash, would you have Starscream as a Guardian."

Her reaction was exactly what he predicted.

"_What?_ Are you kidding me! Yuck! _No_!" She made a disgusted look. "That would be horrible Optimus!" _Why would he even think of such a thing?_

"I suspected you would decline, that is fine though." He pondered. "So then I will assign you to Sunstreaker."

_Not better._

"Optimus! Why are you putting me with the assholes?" She practically shouted. She didn't deserve this! "You've got two other bots' to pick from and you choose Sunshine for me?"

"I understand your irritation Leiana, but Sunstreaker could use the responsibility, and you seem to put him in his place." He watched as she pondered.

"True, I didn't take any of his crap," she grumbled. "I'm stuck with him aren't I?"

He nodded.

She let out a huge sigh as she slouched over.

Even if she did tell him off, so what? She didn't even know the guy and from what she picked up from their short meeting was that he was an ass. Maybe she was judging him too quickly.

Then again she had Ratchet and Ironhide's info to back up her judgment.

But then she guessed it was way better than being put in the care of a freaking Decepticon.

"Does he know?" She asked as he shook his head.

"No, Sunstreaker does not yet know. I will inform him."

"I'll do it." She stopped him. "Might as well try to break the tension. Wish me luck!"

She ran off, only to quickly dodge landing into Erin, who had exited the base.

"Whoa, watch out!" Leiana nearly tripped as she got her footing back. "Sorry there!"

Erin watched as she disappeared in the base. It seemed Optimus had talked to her as well. Maybe she wasn't in trouble.

"There you are." Erin turned around as the large mech towered over her.

Despite his polite and kind attitude, Erin always felt that talking with this bot would require permission first.

"I have just assigned Leiana her Guardian, I will also have to choose one for our newcomer."

Erin lightened up at bit.

_A Guardian, something only Sam and Mikaela have had for a while. _

But whom would he choose for her?

She thought as she glanced around. She hadn't really bonded with any of them.

"I'm sure you have figured out why I called you here?" He tilted his head as he got back down to her level.

She nodded.

"I have decided that for this, special case, that I would ask permission first before assigning the Guardian."

_Special_? She raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Leiana had declined, which is alright, so now I will ask you." He lowered his voice. "Would you accept Starscream as a Guardian?"

Her heart practically stopped as he spoke the name. Her bottom lip trembled as she felt his gaze.

Luckily he noticed her concern.

"You have a choice, you do not have to accept." he assured her.

However, seeing as if she declined, the newcomer might be stuck with him, she felt like it really wasn't a choice at all!

She remembered her feelings the previous night, about wanting to feel useful.

_But this isn't what I wanted... _She glanced down.

But perhaps, she should accept. She wanted to feel like she was doing something important, and if this was it so be it.

"Do you think I can keep a Decepticon from trouble?" she asked, her voice rather shaky as she looked up at him.

"That is not why I want Starscream to have a Charge." He said slightly stern. "He needs to earn our trust before he fully joins our side. Giving him some responsibility around here is necessary.

_I should say no... but part of me wants to accept_.

"Alright," she said calmly. His expression didn't even look surprised.

"I thought you might agree." He smiled. "I noticed the first night you came in contact with Starscream, despite being attacked by him; you showed pity for him later."

_I did?_ She shrugged her shoulders.

_I guess I did. But why?_

"Is that it?" She was about ready to turn around when he spoke.

"No, first things first." He stood back up. "Starscream does not know yet."

There was a long pause as the stared at each other.

"Do you want me to tell him for you?" Thankfully, he understood why she was hesitating.

She nodded as he turned around and walked.

She never felt more like a child then she did right now. Asking these guys for permission, having one escort you somewhere because you're too nervous.

That was probably the one thing she didn't like about being around the Autobots, she felt so small, vulnerable, like she had to give them the highest respect.

Not that they didn't deserve it, after all they were over hundreds of years old, and have done more than she'd ever done.

The other human allies seemed on equal grounds with them though; they didn't think of them like that all the time, they weren't so nervous.

She walked faster to keep up with him as she already guessed where he was heading.

Suddenly she wasn't feeling so good about this. Flashbacks of how terrifying this guy was were now coming back to her. How was she supposed to even look at him? He scared her shitless!

She was nearly close to stopping Optimus, asking for some more time.

Too late now.

Her face made contact with Optimus' foot; she wasn't watching where she was going once he suddenly stopped.

She remained hidden behind his enormous feet as she panicked in silence. _What have I done! I can't do this! _

**…_.._**

Prime wasn't surprised to find the Decepticon outside of the base, sulking most likely.

The seeker was fidgeting with his left shoulder, seeing as it was slightly out of place after one of Megatron's beatings.

He was well aware of the mech's presence; he chose to simply ignore it until he spoke.

"If your shoulder is bothering you, Ratchet can take a look at it." Optimus finally spoke, raising an optic ridge as he could see the small human having a slight panic attack directly behind him.

Starscream grumbled. "Please, I wouldn't trust that old geezer with anything!"

Optimus ignored his comment and continued. "I'm here to tell you that I've taken the liberty of giving you some responsibility around here."

Starscream didn't seem interested. "Like what Prime, you expect me to _mop the floors, empty out the garbage disposal_?" He said smartly folding his arms a crossed his chest.

"If you are quite done Starscream." he spoke more sternly as both Starscream and Erin looked surprised. "I'll get right to the point. I've assigned you to be a Guardian over one of our human allies."

He could see the anger coming.

"This better be some kind of joke, _Prime_!" Starscream moved closer in a challenging stance, but Optimus didn't flinch. Erin however did. "If you think I'd want to play sitter to pathetic beings like those things, you can forget it!"

"You're forgetting your place, Starscream. Considering your situation, I doubt you have much choice." Prime folded his arms as he straightened up.

Starscream winched in irritation as he tried to think of something, anything to get out of this.

Erin remained hidden. She could hear the Decepticon's frustration in his voice.

She flinched as she felt Optimus move his foot away, taking away her cover.

She turned around slowly as she shook slightly, not meeting either of the mech's gaze.

Starscream was taken aback once he saw the small human; clearly he was unaware of her presence. He narrowed his red optics as he glared down.

_This one..._

He recognized this one, the same one he nearly killed twice! However it seemed he left a lasting impression, seeing as the girl was too frightened to even look up.

A smirk rolled onto his face. Even if he had to be this human's Guardian, she wouldn't be much of a bother seeing as she was already afraid by him and most likely would stay as far away from him as possible.

His thoughts were interrupted as he felt Prime's glare. Straightening back up, he said, "May I ask why you've chosen this particular human, Prime? Is this some sort of punishment, has the human done something to offend you?" He continued to smirk, Optimus was unaffected by his attitude.

"You should be glad this human you are putting down at the moment is here." Erin glanced up at Optimus, still not looking at the other mech. "If I recall correctly, while Megatron was beating you mercilessly seconds after you attacked her, she selflessly pleaded for me to stop him."

Erin's gaze quickly went back down as the seeker's glance shot at her.

"So what of it?"

"If she didn't speak up, I might have very well just let him continue." Optimus said, despite the fact that he was lying. Eventually, he would have stopped Megatron, but saw this as an opportunity for the seeker to rethink his words about humans.

"Well then..." Erin felt his gaze on her as he spoke sarcastically. "Shall I send her a thank you card?"

_I can't do this! I can't do this_! She was on the verge of taking off and never looking back. This wasn't going to work.

_But Optimus seemed glad I agreed._ Her thoughts were becoming jumbled up. _What'll happen if I back down now?_

She listened as Optimus spoke his final words of warning. "Starscream, our human allies have been plunged into our war and have fought to defend their home, we will always treat them as our equals, and to gain all of our trust, you must do the same."

She was not prepared as the Autobot leader turned around and began walking away, leaving her...alone..._with him._

Erin panicked, as words couldn't exit her mouth. She wanted to run after him, but her train of thought was interrupted.

"_Well now_..." The Decepticon sneered as she slowly turned back around, still not looking up at him. "Seems it's just the two of us, girl."

This was all too easy for him. It would only be a matter of seconds before this human was running to Prime crying like the pathetic insect she was.

He leaned down for a closer look as she jolted. "Nothing to say? Am I so terrifying that I've rendered you speechless girl?" He taunted as he moved inches closer to her.

This torment was going to last until she collapsed from fear or took off, she knew it. If she ran off now, she wouldn't have the courage to face this thing again.

She could just feel his gaze, like he was attempting to peer into the depths of her soul and rip it apart. Honestly if Optimus wasn't nearby, this guy wouldn't hesitate to destroy her, she only hoped he felt at least slightly threatened by Optimus.

She stiffened up before she quickly plopped down on the grass, sitting Indian-style.

He pulled his head back slightly as he looked down in confusion.

Picking at the cold grass she finally managed to get some words out. Otherwise the long awkward silence would drive her insane.

Sadly, her words were muffled and unable to be heard.

Starscream noticed her attempting to speak as he decided to finally end this nonsense and send the human on her way.

_As far away as possible!_

"So you had the courage to speak up and defend me did you?" he smirked. "Did you pity me human? Or is it just in your nature?" Before she had a chance to process his question he quickly leaned back down, now inches from her as her head jerked back up, finally meeting the Seeker face-to-face for the first time.

Her light blue eyes were wide as her figure shook. Despite being scared out of her mind, she couldn't look away as his blood red optics glared at her.

"You might as well crawl back to Prime's feet and beg for another Guardian!" he snarled in a threatening tone. "I do not intend to put my life on the line for an insect like you, or any human for that matter! If you don't, I'll make you wish you had. Fear is written all over your face! Do yourself a favor and get lost!" He made a grab for her but caught himself, realizing the consequences that would come if he laid a hand on the human.

She flinched before he pulled his hand back. He mumbled something in his native tongue as she continued to stair.

She watched for a few seconds before speaking quietly. "I-I won't..." she immediately looked back down as she readied herself for another outburst from him.

"Oh? And why the slag not?" he straightened back up. At least this time he wasn't shouting. "It's obvious you don't want to be here."

"I want to do this..." She remained seated. "If it's the only way I can be useful to them, then I will do it."

"So this is all for them is it? I seriously doubt they care what you do, girl!" he scoffed.

"That's okay then." She managed a slight smile but remained on her guard. "Because I'm doing this for myself too. And my name is Erin...not girl."

"I didn't ask for your name and I don't care!" he snapped. "You make no sense!"

She felt a bit of sadness come over her as he continued to put her down. From the way both sides acted towards him, he seemed to be on his own, no one really liked him. Not that she could blame them. But still, what if he's been alone for years without anyone to care about him.

She faintly remembered how her mother told her once, after a few kids picked on her in the park, that people put down others in order to feel better about themselves.

_But this wasn't a person...so does that apply to him?_

"Despite what you say..."She managed to look back up at him. "I've already decided to stay, if you are insulting me to make yourself feel better, then go ahead. You must be very unhappy."

"Is that so?" His patience grew thinner with each of her words. The last thing he wanted was a human attempting to reason with him. "You've been mistaken girl, I'm simply insulting you because I want to, because I despise you and your kind. Where would you get the ridiculous idea that I need to put down the likes of you in order to feel better?"

There was no reasoning with him. He had a snotty answer for everything. "My mother told me..." She shrugged her shoulders.

To her surprise, she had forgotten about her fear. She managed to start a conversation with him. Not a great conversation, but it was a start.

"Hmpf! Well please inform your mother that she makes even less sense then you do."

She glanced back down. "I can't do that...you see, she died several years ago."

He paused, as she remained silent after that.

As she sat Indian style, she held her thin ankles with her bony hands. He took notice of the rather large bruise on her leg, most likely from the previous night when he snatched her up. She had on dark blue capris followed by a lime green light jacket that kept the cool wind out. Her long strawberry-blonde hair was swaying in the cool breeze.

He narrowed his optics as he silently glared at her.

_How annoying._

He had underestimated her. Clearly she was terrified, yet she became more and more determined with each of his insults.

"So you don't like us...humans that is?" Erin broke the silence yet again, remembering his statement. "Can I ask why?"

His face showed disgust as he turned his head up. "Oh course I don't! Your kind are small, weak, and incredibly..." he leaned down to her level as she looked "_Annoying_!"

She watched for a while, it was obvious this conversation was going nowhere. The mech snorted with frustration before standing back up to his full height.

She quickly got a better view of the strange markings covering his entire frame. They hadn't been there the first time she saw him. She wondered what they were there for. They seemed carved into him somehow.

She snapped out of her thoughts as she looked up as he stretched his wigs out and began walking away.

"W-Where are you going?" she asked, still remaining seated.

_Am I that boring?_

_Wait! Is he allowed to leave the base?_

"None of your business! If I don't get some fresh air from this pit spawned dump, I'll never survive!"

She remained still. Clearly he wasn't running off; after all, where else would he go?

It seemed since he couldn't get her to leave, he had to in order to get away from her.

But she wasn't finished yet. If she didn't find something in common, or some form of balance between them, she might not get the chance again.

"I'll be right here then." She scooted over towards the front of a tree as she leaned back.

Starscream wielded around as she had a small smile on her face. "You'll what?"

"When you get back..." She tilted her head slightly. "I'll be right here."

She was never one to push herself on someone; if they didn't like her, she left. However, it seemed this guy didn't like anyone. Being a jerk seemed to be in his personality and she would just have to find a way to deal with it.

His temper boiled as he snapped at her. "Don't bother, girl! I'll be gone for far longer than your attention span can stand!" He quickly transformed and flew off.

Erin glanced around as she let out a large sigh. Somewhat relieved that he left, she relaxed.

_When he comes back…?_

Her body trembled slightly for a second since she somewhat dreaded his return. She'd managed to hold her ground this time, but he would only get harsher until she broke.

It was only a matter of time for him.

While one half of her mind felt fear, the other was making her feel stronger. She had accomplished something, not much, but she built up some form of courage.

It was up to her to keep building it up until he couldn't break her.

* * *

Leiana took a deep breath as she stood outside the door.

_It's now or never._

She straightened her shoulders as the door slid open; walking in with her head held high she said in a cheerful tone.

"Hey-yah, Sunshine!" She waved as the yellow mech wielded around from where he was viewing the monitors, clearly pissed at the nickname.

"Oh, it's you." He snorted. "If you can't get my name right, then don't bother talking to me human."

Sideswipe on the other hand was smirking while holding back a laugh.

"That's no way to talk to me." Leiana folded her arms across her large chest. "What a lousy Guardian you will be!" She smirked as his frown grew.

"A what?"

Before he finished she answered, "Optimus just assigned Guardians and lucky you, you got me!" She smiled; his reactions were just too hilarious.

"Why the slag would Prime do that?" He shouted in anger. "I don't have time to look after you humans! I've got better things to do! And why the slag did I get you?" He stomped closer to her but she never flinched.

"Guess I'm just special that way." She grinned. "Also, news flash: I ain't happy about it ether! But it was either you or Starscream! Considering the other choice was a freakin' Decepticon I'd say I got the better of the two."

Sunstreaker heaved a large sigh as he narrowed his optics. "Don't compare me to that Decepticon!"

He continued shouting as Ironhide barged in, taking all three of them by surprise.

"Just what is going on in here?" Ironhide shouted as he saw both the human girl and mech in what looked like a glaring contest. "Explain!"

Sideswipe jumped in, "Optimus just made this girl Sunstreaker's Charge!" he taunted.

"What?" Ironhide shouted yet again. "Why the pit would he do a foolish thing like that?"

"Exactly!" Sunstreaker straightened up. "For once I agree with you!"

"Trusting an idiot like you with a human!" the mech continued. "If I'd known this I would have volunteered myself to be her Guardian."

"Hey!" Sunstreaker raised his voice as Optimus entered. "What's the big idea here Optimus?"

Optimus raised an optic ridge at the strange scene. He sighed loudly, letting his shoulders droop. "Ironhide, if you are that worried, I will assign you as Leiana's Secondary Guardian. However, Sunstreaker will remain her first Guardian," he said as confusion crossed Leiana's face.

"Secondary? What's that?" she looked up.

"In case a Primary Guardian fails his duties to protect you, the Secondary will take his place."

"So I'm not completely screwed during the next battle." Leiana said. "At least I know 'Hide won't let me down."

Sunstreaker remained silent as he narrowed his optics.

"By the way..." Leiana asked. "Did you give Jade a Guardian yet? I left her with Skyfire, the two of them seemed to hit it off just great." She laughed.

"If that is so, then I will assign Ms. Rivers to Skyfire." Optimus nodded. "Sideswipe." the red twin straightened up. "You will be assigned as Erin's Secondary Guardian."

Sideswipe raised a metal eyebrow. "Second? Why not Primary?"

Leiana's brown eyes widened as she realized what had happened. "Optimus, you didn't..." She glanced up at him as Sideswipe still looked confused.

Optimus simply nodded. "I asked Ms. Everett and she agreed."

"Aw shit, now I feel bad!" Leiana sighed. "I didn't think that if I said no, someone else would be stuck with him."

"With who?" Sideswipe interrupted.

Leiana answered. "Optimus assigned Erin to Starscream."

All three other mechs turned towards the leader, all in shock. Ironhide was about to break the silence, only seeing the slightly irritated look on his leader's face. He was preparing himself for the argument to come. He knew that no matter how much he argued Prime wouldn't change his decision.

Primes were stubborn that way.

So he pulled back and remained still.

Sideswipe was the one to speak, in a lighter tone. "I don't mind being her Secondary Guardian." He added as Optimus nodded. "In fact! I haven't properly introduced myself to the little lady!" He smiled as he began walking away.

Ironhide and Optimus began leaving the room as well.

"Brother, wait!" Sunstreaker called out quickly. "Don't leave me here with..." He shot a glance at Leiana who stood quietly beside him. He pushed his mouth out in a pout as she grinned up at him. "_Her_."

"I think we can both agree we aren't happy with this arrangement." She held up her hand while the other was placed behind her back. "So that's a start I'd say."

He narrowed his optics as he looked her over. She was clearly shorter than the other human allies he'd met. Her skin color was darker, almost a mocha color to match her dark brown eyes. Her cheeks were covered in small freckles that reached across her nose.

She was wearing an unzipped, light grey jacket that revealed a black tank top, showing off her rather large cleavage. Her hair was in a messy braid with many lose strands curled upward.

She pushed her lip out, raising an eyebrow at his silence.

He noticed this before, and without thinking he kneeled down and held out a finger for her to grab and shake.

"Not much of one," he added. "But still..."

"A start," she finished for him as she let go.

She still didn't think too fondly of him. He was still a selfish jerk by the way he acted.

However, once put in his place, he seemed to tone down on the attitude.

* * *

The young red mech walked heavily on the grass as he glanced around the outside of the base.

Unfortunately, Sideswipe barely got a decent look at his new Secondary Charge; however he was told that she was last seen outside with Starscream near the lake.

It had been a while since Optimus left her there; he only hoped she hadn't been pounded into the ground by the Seeker by now.

He looked around until he saw the small figure crouched down in front of a tree, sitting quietly.

His presence was unknown as he spoke, causing the human to flinch and her head to dart up, revealing what the humans called tears streaming down her face.

She quickly began wiping them away with the sleeve of her jacket as Sideswipe approached her.

To his surprise, the Decepticon was nowhere to be found.

Puzzled he looked down at her. "Where did Starscream go?"

Wondering if hopefully he missed those tears, Erin glanced up as she spoke. "He got bored with me so he left." She faked a smile, but he looked shocked.

"He left!"

Erin quickly continued speaking once she saw his worry. "No, no, don't worry! He'll be back!"

Sideswipe raised an optic ridge as he kneeled down to her level, making her lean away a little out of discomfort.

"You really think so, huh?" he asked as she straightened up. "Why, because he said he would?"

She tilted her head slightly. "No, I just know. He has nowhere else to go, right?"

"Yeah… but this is Starscream we're talking about." He scratched the side of his helmet as he changed the subject. "Why were you leaking?"

Erin froze as she looked back down.

She sat there for a moment as she felt his gaze. However unlike Starscream's, his gaze showed concern.

Unfortunately she didn't know him at all; he had only just arrived the night before and from what she heard, he was a troublemaker along with his brother.

"I… guess I'll need to get used to his insults and anger." She sighed. "I just didn't want him to see me cry… because he'll know he got to me."

Sideswipe watched her, but she didn't meet his optics.

She was certainly put in the worst situation. Why she said yes to this, he didn't know. She seemed so timid, far too timid for Starscream.

Suddenly he remembered why he came out there.

"I forgot. Optimus made me your Secondary Guardian." He noticed her confusion as he continued. "In case your Primary Guardian fails, and let's be honest, when he fails, I'll be right here!" He grinned widely as she watched.

A somewhat saddened smile appeared on her face.

"No one here believes he can do it… or that I can do it huh?"

He shrugged "You understand once a Decepticon, always a Decepticon. This alliance is not permanent, I don't know why Optimus thinks it will be."

"Then I'll just have to wait and see." He glanced down as she looked at him. "But for now, we're stuck together."

Sideswipe sighed with frustration as he looked at the darkening sky. "We should get inside."

Erin shook her head slightly. "I can't, I told him I'd be right here when he got back." She shrugged her shoulders as she rested against the tree. "If I leave, he'll know I gave up."

The mech shook his head as he stood up. She honestly believed he would return. She was a fool for that, perhaps even the only living being who trusted the slagger.

But he wasn't about to argue with her because with time she would return to the base.

"Suit yourself." He waved before leaving her.

She really was a fool, she thought.

After another thirty minutes, she felt her eyelids become heavy as the sky began forming dark clouds overhead.

It seemed even the weather was against her staying.

She pulled her hood up as rain droops fell on her exposed skin. She shivered with each drop as she pulled herself under the tree as much as possible for shelter.

Was he really worth it? She thought. Was she really going to wait out in the rain just to prove she can handle any insult he throws at her, just to prove she can do it?

The rain came down faster as she sighed.

She closed her eyes as she leaned back against the tree.

Waiting.

* * *

The F-22 quickly transformed as the Seeker landed on his feet.

It was dark out

Clearly she would be long gone.

He walked on the soaked grass as the rain barely bothered him.

He flinched when he heard a moan not too far off.

He wielded around until he spotted the small figure, knees pulled up as her armed wrapped around them, her head laid down on top.

He narrowed his optics with frustration over the fact that, after all that time, she still waited.

_What an idiot!_ He stormed over towards her as he glared down.

No movement from her.

He groaned in annoyance. If he entered the base without her the Autobots will no doubt chew him out for it.

"Get up you infernal thing!" he growled as he used his finger to shove her.

Her head bolted up as she screamed eyes wide with terror as she shook. He pulled back as she breathed heavily.

_Please don't hurt me_! She cried out in her head after the nightmare. She stopped as she noticed the rain had stopped…but she could still hear it.

Her head shot up as she saw the now familiar figure leaning over her, keeping the rain from hitting her. Glaring obviously.

However she sighed with relief it was not… someone else.

She found herself confused as to who it was that frightened her then.

A smile appeared on her face nonetheless as she tried to ignore his glare.

"Welcome back," she said calmly. He snorted, his crimson eyes brighter in the darkness of the night.

"Why are you still here?" He remained looming over her.

"I said I'd be right here, didn't I?" She adjusted her hood to cover her head more as she shivered.

"You're not supposed to be here! I was gone for several Earth hours!" He argued back.

Her eyes darted away from his out of nervousness, but she kept talking, hoping to sound confident. "Yes, the others were worried you wouldn't come back. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't getting extremely impatient."

"So why didn't you just crawl back inside?" He lowered himself more as he noted her avoiding his gaze. "Did you think I would be impressed by your determination?"

There was a long pause as Erin got to her feet.

She calmly walked passed him as she headed for the base.

She sighed with a long breath before deciding to open up to the one testing her.

"I am not a very determined person. I find myself giving up easily. Maybe you sensed that. It's taken almost everything in me not to give up, run home and hope to never have to listen to your hurtful words again. That would be very much like me to do so."

He straightened up as he turned towards the base she was facing.

She turned slightly as she looked down.

"But I think it's time for a change. And you may just be the one who pushes me to do it."

He snarled viciously as he was ready to snap at her. Her confidence in herself now was driving him mad. At this rate breaking her would be impossible…unless he could physically break her in half…

_If only._

Before he spoke she turned completely around.

"You can insult me if that is what you truly want. I feel scared and completely vulnerable with you here. You obviously won't change for me, so I'll change for you. I will get stronger so I can take your insults better. I won't give up on you or look down on you for your past actions. I'd like to, but I think it's better for me if I don't. If I can bear being cut down by a far bigger and stronger being than myself, I think you can put up with the likes of me, don't you think?"

He ground his teeth. In just a few hours, she overcame his attempts to get rid of her! What had he done wrong for her to grow confident? His plan was perfect!

Pushing this girl away would certainly make his life at the pit known as the Autobot's base far more bearable!

It was horrendous enough this girl was…

"I'm heading inside…" She interrupted his thoughts as she walked away.

He snapped.

Quickly reaching out in front of himself he grabbed her small frame and hauled her back, letting go as he body hit the cold wet ground.

He stomped over above her while she looked up, obviously terrified.

"You…have no right to talk that way to me, you _pest_!" He reached back down and wrapped his fingers around her. "You think you're safe just because the Autobots are your allies? However right you are, now you're making me want to rather crush your life right out of your skin, even if it means being cast out yet again!"

Erin looked up wide-eyed. It was stupid of her to tempt his anger. But if she didn't get her feelings out right then and there she may have not felt brave enough later.

She closed her eyes as the rain hit harder against her face. She panicked as she found it harder to breathe as he squeezed tighter.

She didn't even insult him! Why was he acting so rash? His hatred and anger seemed far deeper than getting butthurt over a small scolding.

His grip suddenly loosened as she fell to her knees, regaining her breath.

She looked up as she watched him storm off, not into the base though.

Instead he simply vanished into the darkness of the night, leaving Erin alone yet again.

She got to her feet as she pulled her hood back up and made her way back to the base, hoping to find a ride home there.

* * *

**Author's Note: **

_**Dark purple**__ evokes gloom and sad feelings. It can cause frustration. In this case, frustration between two sets of new Charges and Guardians._


End file.
